GATE: And thus the Third Reich subjugated
by Spooky Skull Face
Summary: 1939, weeks before the planned invasion of Poland. A Gate opens within Berlin. The Third Reich is shaken by this otherworldly foe. Now the Reich has regained its bearings, now is the time for repayment. Germany will be Groß once more. Rated M for Nazis.
1. Ein Reich

The Krupp Protze he found himself riding in was far from comfortable, although that was not the worse aspect of this journey. In fact the ride itself proved to be infinitely more relaxing than the vision of purplish blackness that was swirling overhead.

He never really considered himself a religious person but this was the sort of thing that would get men to believe in a higher power.

Newly promoted Sturmbannführer Max Hansen never really believed he was going to end up invading another world, to be at the vanguard for the first troops to set foot into what higher command have started calling Thule. To think this all started just two months ago.

* * *

-2 months prior-

4th August, 1939

Hauptsturmführer Max Hansen, captain within the elite 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, had no idea what he was doing.

"Come on Hansen don't be a pussy." His kameraden Albrecht Lüdemann egged him on to flirt with the cute waitress in the café.

"Tell me how hard would you like your flogging Untersturmführer?" Max said whilst drilling bores into Lüdemann's soul with his eyes.

Lüdemann was a mere second lieutenant while Hansen was the captain of the entire 12th company of Hitler's personal bodyguard;however, they've been friends forr so long that he was able to forgive his lack of discipline or protocol.

So casual was their relationship that Lüdemann could fuck his cousin and Hansen wouldn't care, mostly because all of his cousins were male.

"Come on Hansen we're in Berlin, look at the pretty girls. Don't tell me you're not going to use the nice uniforms to your advantage?" Hansen scowled, such licentious attitudes was disgraceful to see within the SS never mind the Leibstandarte.

"Aldy please have some decency, you're a SS man not some horny dog." Hansen said annoyingly, trying to not stare deeply into a fine frau's ass.

"You pervert, I see where your eyes wander you better behave when the Fuhrer returns from his meeting." Albrecht's smile lasted for a few seconds, before the sounds of screaming broke their momentary break.

"Max, what on the worl-"Before they could act a group of fleeing civilians rushed in a panic by the café, some with their fine attires stained with blood, others carrying the bodies of children.

Berlin was under attack.

"ALDY CONTACT THE REST OF THE COMPANY!" Max dashed from his seat, upholstering his newly received Walther P38, completely oblivious to his own safety.

"MAX WAIT!" Albrecht was utterly dumbfounded by Max's lack of any understanding of their situation. He was only Untersturmführer while Max was the captain of the entire company. Damn his headstrong bravado.

He sighed, quickly and calmly assuaging the fears of the café's occupants, guiding them to safety before establishing contact with the rest of the company.

Meanwhile Max was busy attempting to minimize civilian casualties. He saw a young frau and her son hiding inside an Opel Kadett I, attacked by some demonic looking flying creatures. Max cursed as one of them turned their attention to him. It was about to dive with his claws aimed at his eyes, he jumped to the side, managing to clip the creature with a wild shot. He proceeded to fire into the rest of them, managing to get them all with a single magazine.

He dashed towards the car, opening the door and ushering the two outside.

"Raus before more come!" He ordered loudly as they both followed his command.

He slammed a new magazine into the pistol.

"Scheisse." He cursed quietly.

"It's as if Hell is shitting in Berlin." He said noticing another gaggle of enemy troops, this time they were humanoid beings. They looked like trolls out of legend.

"Scheisse it's not only shitting but its vomiting everything from its asshole." He noted grimly, steeling himself for another fight.

* * *

-1 month prior-

12th September 1939

He was embarrassed, utterly and completely embarrassed. This was his moment, yet he couldn't help but be utterly anxious about it all. In the aftermath of the Berlin Incident he had been lauded as 'The Hero of Berlin' a shining Aryan knight who defended the very heartland of Germania. Not only was he promoted to Sturmbannführer but he was also given the 'Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves' probably the first German to win such an award for his peerless bravery. The 12th company as well received several decorations, in fact he along with the 12th company as a whole had become the heroes for all of Germany, and the reason for this parade was to celebrate their accomplishments. The capital of the German Reich was temporarily moved to Munich which is where Hansen had found himself; the appearance of the Gate had completely changed the course of history.

Most of the military plans, focused on acquiring new lebensraum in Europe, were completely scrapped. The endless possibilities granted by the Gate created ripples within the world.

The USA, France and the UK were terrified. What lies in the other world? How much resources could possibly be available to the Axis? How badly would this spell for the forces of democracy?

The Soviet Union was alarmed but ultimately unconcerned. Rumors of German interest in Europe diminishing have placated Moscow; with the Gate the Germans would be busy for a while. This gave the Soviets a chance to industrialize and prepare themselves for inevitable war.

Japan, Italy and Spain were curious about this new anomaly. The German government had declared that after the Germans established themselves within the new world, their allies would be granted the same access. Many doubt the Germans would follow through with their promises but nonetheless a powerful Germany meant they would benefit for a time.

Yet all this talk of geo-politics and realpolitik did not matter at this particular junction. What mattered was the victory of Aryan soldiers over attacks by outside foes.

'This is the strength of the German Volk, even when attacked in such a cowardly and dishonorable manner our Teutonic spirit has shone through!Witness enemies of the Reich! Witness Judaic-Bolshevism! This is what happens when you attack the Aryan Volk! Courage and honor! These men are true Aryans and what all Aryan folk must strive to emulate!' That was the part of the Fuhrers speech Max remembered most of all. He couldn't help but feel inspired by such power and fury in his oratory.

Unfortunately his awe would soon disappear when he would face the man himself.

"Kameraden Hansen? I've heard stories of your bravery in the face of literal demons but I do say you might actually fear me more so." Hitler joked as Hansen struggled shaking the Fuhrers hand, blustering as the cameras flashed.

"N-Not at all my Fuhrer! I-I'm just awed by your presence." Hansen said clumsily whilst the Fuhrer pinned the medal onto his chest.

"Kameraden Hansen please I receive enough compliments, you are the star of this day not I. I'm just a simple man who loves his nation and volk." Hitler smiled as he shook Hansen's hand once more. Hansen couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

-10 days ago-

2nd October 1939

"M-Me lead the expedition?!" Sturmbannführer Max Hansen couldn't help but yell out loudly, even in front of the Fuhrer.

"M-My." Before he could apologize for his transgressions Hitler simply raised his hand.

"I understand Sturmbannführer, you'd expect a vacation for your good work; however, I sincerely believe you are the one most suited for this position." Hitler said amongst the busybodies and personnel that were skittering across the new military headquarters outside Berlin.

Standing next to the Fuhrer was a tall and imposing blond figure; his form cut the Aryan ideal. Yet Hansen couldn't help but feel ill at his presence.

"May I have the honor to present to you Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, he will be your commanding officer for this expedition." Heydrich offered his hand; Hansen reluctantly shook it and felt only ice, even with gloves on.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Sturmbannführer." The man's voice was high but soft. It sounded as cold as his touch.

"Forgive me for asking but why me? Are there not more qualified men for such a position?" He said confused, sure he was the 'Hero of Berlin' but he didn't do much. All he did was shoot at a bunch of creatures that didn't seem to know what a gun was.

"Not really, you and your company have had the most experience dealing with these new enemies of the Reich. Not only that but we believe a regiment lead by the 'Hero of Berlin' would be sufficient to establish a beachhead on Thule." Heydrich said smoothly, like a marble gliding through honey.

"Are we still following normal SS hierarchy? Is the company and I still a part of the 1st Panzer division?" Hitler smiled at that, like a father excited to show his son a surprise.

"No, in fact I forgot to mention. Your men are now the nucleus of a newly created division, a special one at that, the 4th SS division Berliner that is specially commanded by Heydrich."Hansen couldn't help but steal a glance at Heydrich.

His cold smile didn't comfort him at all.

* * *

-Now-

They saw a light, a light shining at the end of this tunnel.

'Here we go.' Hansen thought to himself.

'Ein Riech.' Were his last thoughts before the light quickly became blinding.


	2. Ein Volk

Day 1:

1600 hours, Alnus Hill

It was about two hours before the enemy forces had managed to arrive at the battlefield. In that short amount of time the German forces managed to set up several ad hoc trenches, embankments, and bunkers. Even so a battalion of 900 facing an entire army with an estimate of 30,000-90,000 soldiers with an unknown number of auxiliary troops and aerial units made the battle seem impossible on paper. Even considering the fact that the battalion was of mixed arms it was meant to be nothing more than a token force meant to establish a beachhead, not an effective army of any sort.

Unfortunately for the forces of the Empire, the Germans were not the type to fight fairly. The first charge of about 45,000 troops was almost comically beaten back. The reason for that was due to the efforts of the artillery, a dozen 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzers had pummeled their forces, and not only that they were armed with shells containing mustard gas. The wind had proved favorably during the engagement, blowing downwards at the enemy. It was quickly made obvious that the enemy troops had no concept of what chemical warfare was as they quickly broke rank and fled to get away from the "Fog of Death". Those fleeing were cut down like trees by machine gun fire and a dozen more artillery bombardments.

The casualty report for this battle was approximately 28,000 dead and 5,000 wounded.

The second charge was completely aerial, the Imperial forces had now learned from their first mistake, apprehensive at committing at another ground offensive with the 'Poison magic' that was at the disposal of the Germans. Approximately 300 creatures resembling the dragons of yore were flying over German airspace, supported by several more hundreds of the flying gargoyles from the Berlin incident. During this particular engagement the Germans experienced some losses, about 40 killed and 15 wounded; however, the anti-aircraft emplacements which consisted largey of 3.7 cm Flak 18s and even a dozen 8.8 cm Flak 18s had managed to avenge their sacrifice, completely shattering the aerial troops cohesion as they were quickly destroyed by the rest of the battalion.

The casualty for this battle was the total elimination of the enemy's aerial capability of about 297 dragons and their riders along with many more of the gargoyles, the amount of survivors left so negligible that it might be considered nil.

Now the Germans were angry.

The enemy was about to prepare for a third charge when their camp was attacked swiftly and brutally. 12 Ausführung A variants of the Panzer IV had blitzed into the Imperials from the German position. Their tank guns and MG 34's managed to cut down the remaining Imperial forces like autumn wheat before the scythe. The fact they resisted what weapons the Imperial forces could muster along with their speed and the sheer deafening noise their guns produced when fired was particularly devastating to Imperial morale.

At 2100 hours, the Imperial army retreated from the field. The total death toll for the Imperial side was approximately 67,000 dead and an unknown amount of wounded.

The Battle for Alnus Hill (Now called New Prussia) was an overwhelming victory for the German Reich. With this the Germans had managed to successfully entrench themselves within Thule, soon after a steady stream of troops from Germany would disembark on the newly created outpost.

This was the moment the Empire could have stifled the German advance. This was the only opportunity the Empire had to stem the invasion. Now with this defeat the battalion guarding the gate had swelled into an entire division. 10,000 German troops now permanently lodged within several kilometers of fortifications and killzones.

* * *

She had travelled far and wide, looking for any survivors of the Battle at Alnus Hill that took place two weeks prior. The senate was in an uproar; her father was quickly losing support of most of the other nobles.

She had found herself within a tavern near Alnus, accompanied by her fellow knights from her Order. The proprietor of this place had told her of a survivor, one who had lived through the entire ordeal from start to finish.

Entering the room she immediately noted how dim and rancid the smell was. She quickly saw why that was the case.

Lying on a bed was a wretched creature; his eyes were pits of empty voids and his skin hanging loosely from his skeletal frame, his left arm missing and his legs completely gone. He had burn marks and unsightly blemishes everywhere. The only way she was able to recognize him was the royal crest he still wore.

"K-King Duran?" She said with hands on her mouth, completely disgusted by what happened to what was left of her father's vassal.

"Princess Pina, my even without my eyesight I can still recognize your sweet voice." The King laughed, or made an attempt to.

"W-What happened to you? Was this work of the enemy force?" Princess Pina tried to stomach her bowels.

"The enemy? YOU FATHER DID THIS! HE KNEW WHAT WE WERE FACING! HE MEANT TO SEND US HIS VASSALS TO THE BUTCHERY IN AN EFFORT TO WEAKEN US! HE SENT US TO FIGHT HARDY'S DEMONS!" The old wretched man ranted out, his mind obviously broken from his ordeals.

"H-Hardy? The Goddess of the underworld?"

"How else would you explain the death they unleashed? The horrific killing they were capable of. "The once proud King placed a hand on his empty eyes, obviously crying if his tear ducts weren't missing.

"C-Can you start from the beginning? Tell me more about what happened?" The Princess pleaded.

To her surprise the King agreed after a silent moment of deliberation, but on one condition.

"Kill me after I finish." The Princess eyes widened at this.

"I can-"

"Then I won't even bother telling." He interrupted her.

The Princess didn't like it, but she had few options. Her father had started razing the nearby lands to deprive the enemy resources, but all it did was weaken the Empire and make the peasants even more disgruntled. She had no idea how to proceed with such little information.

"All right." The King smiled at that.

He started with the army's arrival, how the other Kings and Dukes spent a better part of the morning arguing on the plan of attack. Eventually it was decided that an immediate frontal charge would be sufficient, to overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers. That was proven to be a mistake, for the enemy troops had access to strange magic that summoned fogs of death. Entire formations of infantry were consumed within the clouds where they choked and burned and died. They retreated in a panic, completely terrified that the enemy was capable of casting this magic within the camp itself.

When they didn't follow up with their counter attack they regrouped, figuring that an aerial assault would bypass their death magic. Yet again they were proven wrong as the dragons and their riders were cut down by explosions and invisible arrows. Only a few managed to reach the camp before they were dispatched as well. This cost them their entire aerial contingent of troops.

They were about to launch a desperate night attack when the enemy themselves came down Alnus hill. They came in steel chariots that were as large as Minotaurs. They unleashed breaths of explosive fire and launched invisible arrows that killed with a single touch. The camp had been completely taken by surprise at the sudden lightning attack. Many of the troops were killed before they even managed to move into formation. The entire skirmish lasted only 20 minutes before the soldiers lost their nerve and fled; starting a chain reaction until the entire army started routing. Showing off their backs to the steel chariots only allowed them to be cut down like wheat.

Yet that was not enough, the enemy had resumed casting their foul death and explosion magic. The King himself was caught within the blast of one of the spells, exposed to the death cloud he barely clung to life as he dragged himself away from the carnage.

By the end of his story she had a good inkling of the force that the Empire had declared war on, an advanced civilization with access to terrible magic's and strange machines of overwhelming power.

Even as she held the dagger that was poised above King Duran's heart Princess Pina had only one thought on her mind.

"What have we done?"

* * *

Ever since Hansen did an excellent job in establishing German presence within the Neuwelt (New World) Reinhard Heydrich had been busy at work, high command had severely underestimated the needed troops and material in this project and it was only due to the clever work of Hansen and his new battalion that he was sitting in his newly built office right now.

This fiasco was simply another facet of a greater problem that had sprung up ever since the Gate's appearance. There had been several ideological disagreements within the party with the conflict in its most basic being split into two factions. Those who wish to immediately conquer whatever pockets of resistance was present on the Neuwelt and claim the Neuwelt for the Reich without any care for its inhabitants; while the other wanted to learn more about the Neuwelt and possibly integrate its people into the Reich 'peacefully'.

The former informally called the Aufrüstung (Rearmament) faction consisted mostly of military, headed by Joseph Goebbels who saw the Neuwelt as a backup plan if European conquest failed and Albert Speer who was interested in the potential resources that could be used for German rearmament. Most of the Rearmers were still fixated on reconquering traditional German land in Europe and saw the Neuwelt of secondary importance to Europe.

The latter popularly termed the Ahnenerbe; were mostly headed by the esoteric and mystical elements of the Party that included the Thule society. This faction was dominated by Heinrich Himmler and Alfred Rosenburg who believed that the Neuwelt was in fact the original homeland of the Aryan race and wished to forgo all interest within Europe in favor of the Neuwelt; in fact the more radical members called for abandoning Earth all together and resettle all the German peoples into the Neuwelt which they called Thule.

This conflict was low-key but had the potential to intensify if this conflict continued.

Heydrich himself was leaning towards the latter, he did not believe in the paganism of Rosenburg or the occultist nonsense of Himmler. Yet he was still the head of the Sicherheitsdienst (Security Service) it was his job to collect intelligence; they had next to nothing information on whom exactly they were fighting. The corpses and prisoners from the Berlin incident suggest that the humans were the dominant population of this place, with other fantastical races as lesser client species. According to the Rassenamt (Racial Office) most of the humans were Aryans of Alpine and Mediterranean complexion which proved surprising to high command. Their language as well has been noted by linguists to contain root words of proto-German and other Indo-Aryan languages which merely inflamed the Ahnenerbe into declaring the Neuwelt as Thule the first Aryan homeland.

In fact he was about to officiate a reconnaissance mission around the surrounding environs when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in." He said in his high and smooth voice, his blue eyes staring deeply at however was about to enter.

The man who entered had this cheery and passive demeanor, yet Heydrich's instinct were screaming that there was more to him than meets the eye.

"Don't you know I'm busy Herr...?" Heydrich said neutrally.

"Untersturmführer Josef Mengele mien Obergruppenführer." He said while doing the Roman salute. Other than the uniform that confirmed his rank he was wearing a lab coat as well.

"I've heard of you, you're with the Rassenamt are you not?" Heydrich asked curiously.

The Rassenamt (Racial Office) were the two main branches of the Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt (SS Race and Settlement Main Office), the RuSHA as they were commonly known was responsible for the maintenance of the racial purity of the German people within the Reich and to enforce racial policies. When the Gate opened the RuSHA was restructured into four main offices and two of those offices were currently maintaining branches within the outpost of New Prussia. This Mengele had recently come up within Heydrich's dossier for his controversial statements of establishing contact with the enemy.

"Yes, Herr Obergruppenführer and I apologize if I am disturbing you." The young man took a seat at Heydrich's insistence, holding his hands together.

"Not at all, in fact I was about to contact the Rassenamt myself."

"Oh? Why is that?" Heydrich would have been annoyed by a man of such low rank speaking out of turn but Heydrich had a feeling Mengele would quickly rise through the hierarchy if his dossier was any indication of his abilities, he was willing to let such casualness slide.

"I'm about to send a reconnaissance team to scout the surroundings of New Prussia and an officer from the Rassenamt would no doubt be invaluable to the team."

At this Mengele beamed.

"Then I am the perfect man for you! I was present when the Rassenamt did their autopsies on the corpses from the Berlin incident and I believe I have a good grasp of their language as well." He said like a giddy child.

"You seem very enthusiastic about this entire thing. Are you perchance planning on contacting potentially hostile elements?" Heydrich's accusatory question didn't seem to faze Mengele.

"I see you already know about my reputation, rest assured my ideas do not conflict with the mission of the Rassenamt. As you know our foes could potentially be our cousins through common Aryan lineage. It would be splendid if we could initiate contact with them, but if that was not to be an option then I no problem with it, survival of the fittest after all." Heydrich took a while in scanning Mengele, looking through his dossier as well before coming to a conclusion.

"Congratulations on making into the reconnaissance team." Heyrdrich said as he wrote Mengele's name into the roster and stamped on the order with the seal of his office.


	3. Tiger, Tiger burning bright

Day 16:

0700 hours, New Prussia

Hansen should have enjoyed this momentary break from fighting but he couldn't resist a feeling of restlessness ever since the initial battle with the enemy. That was the first time he had fought in battle and now he couldn't stop feeling the buzz, even with 15 of his men in the infirmary and 40 more under the ground he still even with the guilt, cold not stop feeling that utter rush from that opening battle; piloting the Panzer IV with Albrecht and scattering the enemy was an experience he would never forget.

This Neuwelt reminded him of home back at his village in Schleswig-Holstein and not only did he feel homesick he also felt a bit annoyed, there was a reason he left his idyllic countryside life.

Thankfully he had received summons from Heydrich after the morning game of football. By his side was recently promoted Obersturmführer Albrecht Lüdemann.

They returned to the barracks, showering and donning their uniforms before meeting with Heydrich at the vehicle depot.

"Ah! Sturmbannführer I see you're still punctual as always." Heydrich tried to smile, if the face he made could be called a smile.

"Good morning to you to Obergruppenführer." Hansen said very unenthusiastically.

"Why the long face? Aren't you excited about what I'm about to show you? Heydrich said with a frown.

"Huh? I thought you had an assignment for me." Hansen said confusingly.

"Ah that mission is slated for 1300 hours; we still have plenty of time. I have another reason for calling you here. It's a gift from the Fuhrer himself." Hansen was further confused, was it another medal?

They spent some time walking through the vehicle depot, there were currently four dozen tanks mostly consisting of three dozen Panzer III Ausf. F and about two dozen Panzer IV Ausf. D. which had just gotten into production, in fact these twelve were among the first; the dozen Panzer IV Ausf.A used earlier were obsolete models that were not expected to be fielded in combat and had already been scrapped. The almost immediate response from the Empire resulted in the Waffen-SS and Heer not taking any chances with the Neowelt invasion force now being fitted with the Reich's most bleeding edge

"As you know Sturmbannführer there were some initial problems that your task force had to suffer through, namely how ill fitted you were for combat. High Command neglected to outfit your battalion with the latest weaponry of the Reich as they did not expect such an immediate response from our enemy and just armed you with military surplus from the first World War or obsolete models from our current arsenal. Many were under the impression judging from reports of the Berlin incident that the enemy force was primitive and no threat to our military, completely dropping the ball when the massive concentration of troops attacked within hours of your arrival." Heydrich explained midway to their destination.

"Luckily for us they gave us the 88's and somehow through some inventory error your battalion was armed with mustard artillery shells for our newer howitzers. They were prototypes, developed early in the Reich's history; in the late years of the Weimar Republic. Their development discontinued due to any lack of improvement or funding and personal reasons cited by the Fuhrer. How you managed to get them I have no clue." Heydrich tried to suppress a mischievous grin, giving hint as to how they managed to receive those shells.

"Anyway High Command eventually got their heads out of their asses and decided to not only give you the latest, but even the experimental." They managed to reach their destination, all the way near the back of the depot.

Several men were working on a disgustingly large tank; Hansen noted the slack jawed amazement on Lüdemann's face.

A large bald man with a severe expression stood at attention, giving Heydrich the Roman salute.

"Allow me to introduce to you Hauptsturmführer Friedrich Böhm of the Heereswaffenamt (German Army Weapons Agency) the man responsible for this monstrosity." Heydrich said.

"It is a pleasure to meet the Hero of Berlin." Hansen couldn't help but notice something about his accent.

"Are you Silesian per chance Hauptsturmführer?" At this Friedrich smiled.

"You recognize the accent?" He seemed a bit more relaxed.

"Yeah, I have a cousin who's married to a Silesian. You guys have pretty recognizable accents." Friedrich's handshake evolved into a full blown hug, if Heydrich had found any problem with this breach of protocol he didn't show it.

"Well then this means we're going to have a very smooth working relationship. Let me introduce to you the Panzerkampfwagen VI Drache Ausf. A." He proudly exclaimed, his hand outstretched towards the metal behemoth.

The thing had thick armor almost everywhere. In the hull, the frontal turret and even the gun mantlet. The tracks as well were larger than most other tanks, no doubt to accommodate such sheer weight. This thing looked like it could survive a shot from its own large caliber gun and continue driving but damn it looked slow.

"W-What are the specs of this beautiful frau?" Lüdemann said with moisture in his eyes, Hansen didn't see him like this since they were 10, when they found a dirty American magazine in the woods of their home.

"I will gladly tell you; it weighs 54 tonnes, designed by Henschel & Son, 110 mm armor on the hull with similar thickness on the rest, main armament is a 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 cannon that is derived from the newest iteration of the 8.8 cm Flak series the 8.8 cm Flak 36 that's about to go into mass production, two 7.92 mm MG 34 and an engine that lets it cruise at around 45 km/h, however fuel capacity is a problem right now and it tends to break down. In summary it is a only a stage above prototype but it's doable. "With every number uttered Albrecht reached a higher crescendo of sexual fulfilment until he finally broke down in absolute tears.

"M-Mien Gott it's beautiful." He cried out.

"Jesus that's a bit excessive don't you think?" Hansen muttered in response to the sheer amount of overkill this tank possessed.

"Well better safe than sorry I guess." Böhm simply shrugged.

"Wait, how long have you been working on this thing?" Albrecht asked. The Berlin incident was some months ago. No way was that time sufficient to create a tank like this.

"Well the concept originated in 1933 when the Heereswaffenamt approached Henschel to develop a Durchbruchwagen ("breakthrough vehicle"). What they produced was a little heavier than what we originally wanted and was shelved with the codename 'Tiger'; however, the Berlin incident ramped things up a bit, the Ahnenerbe in particular were apprehensive at the possibility that there would be larger and more dangerous things than the dragons the attacked Berlin. So they asked as to produce a tank that could put down almost anything. Using the Tiger as a base we made the Drache." Albrecht was satisfied for a while, before asking another question.

"Shouldn't it be called the Panzerkampfwagon V then? Not VI?" At this Friedrich smirked.

"No and I'm not going to go into specifics, it's all classified." Albrecht frowned like a child denied candy.

"So I assume this is what I'm going to commandeer this mission?" Hansen said to Heydrich.

"Yes, if you were to meet any locals it would be prudent to meet them with force." Hansen still looked unconvinced.

"Why not just use regular Panzer IVs? Why on Earth would I need a heavy tank with an 88mm cannon? What do you expect me to kill?" Hansen said exasperatedly unimpressed by the inefficiencies of the Drachen.

Heydrich shrugged.

"Well better safe than sorry I guess." Böhm slightly raised his eyebrow, noting how the Obergruppenführer just stole his line.

* * *

1400 hours, area around New Prussia

"I knew this thing was nothing more than a death trap." Hansen sighed, sitting on top of the Drache's turret.

An hour earlier they had left the New Prussian outpost with two Sd kfz 251/1 Ausf. A half-tracks flanking the Drache, these troop carriers like everything that's being shipped into the Neuwelt were new and just out of the factory production line; each of them able to hold 12 passengers including the driver and gunner. Even with this capacity only about 8 men were currently seated between each of them, barring the 5-man tank crew of the Drache. All in all, this reconnaissance mission was being undertaken with 13 men. This was a bit understaffed but unavoidable, there's wasn't the only reconnaissance force out there and anything larger would attract too much attention.

Hansen didn't know exactly why but Heydrich seemed to be unwilling to launch any missions without Hansen at the forefront. Was it because he was the 'Hero of Berlin'? Was it because Heydrich perhaps hated him? He would never know.

As they left heavy rain started to pour, and the dirt road they traversed through became muddy. This unfortunately resulted in the Drache getting stuck and their current predicament.

"Schmidt did you contact headquarters yet?" Karl Schmidt jerked at Hansen's voice; the jittery Gefreiter from Dresden had quite the weak nerves.

"Y-Yes, but t-they say the mission is s-still active h-however." The tank's radio operator stuttered out.

"Lüdemann, Goldkopf how long until you think this thing can go?" Hansen said whilst impatiently looking at the sun, calculating how much time they were spending here.

Albrecht and a heavy brawn older man were currently in the midst of an argument, pointing at the tank's muddied tracks and swinging their hands in wild motions.

"Okay, I think we might be in trouble. This could take two hours." Gefreiter Dietrich Goldkopf responded, although he was merely the tank loader the Bavarian had grown up among tanks he possessed more knowledge about the vehicle than Lüdemann, which further intensified their dislike for each other that begun when they first met.

"Also the engine's overheated, might take another two hours." Obergefreiter Jan van Delft, the half Dutch and half German driver of the tank who was also the squad leader; however, he and his squad were transferred from the Heer under the command of Hansen which was something that Jan didn't like considering his flippant attitude. Hansen however couldn't help but admire their competence regardless of their eccentricities.

The situation between the Waffen-SS and the Heer was a complex one, initially the incursion into the Neowelt involved only the Waffen-SS; however, complaints from the Heer and several prominent members of the party had resulted in the Heer joining the fun as well. This eventually lead to a conflict of interests and several awkward situations where the Waffen-SS and Heer would come to blows, Heydrich as overall commander of the Waffen-SS in the Neowelt had done all he could to minimize the role of the Heer within operations. Unfortunately, the Drache tank was completely developed by the Heer and the Heereswaffenamt which meant some cooperation with the Heer was necessary.

"Hansen, I think you should go on without us." Lüdemann said with a dejected sigh, obviously disappointed he wasn't going to fire the 88 today.

"Are you sure? I mean you're going to be alone here with just the tank. What if the enemy force returns or sends a scouting party?" At this Albrecht raised his eyebrow in a bemused fashion, seemingly skeptic of the question's seriousness.

"I have an 88 mm gun on my side. What on Earth would be stupid enough to face it?" Hansen scowled slightly.

"Aly you need to work on that hubris of yours, keep talking like that and fate will find it prudent to answer your questions." Albrecht chuckled.

"Trust me Max, I doubt I'd ever get to fire this thing."

* * *

After leaving Albrecht and the tank crew to their woes, Hansen and the rest of the reconnaissance team had proceeded to drive onwards for about 30 minutes until finally reaching a small population center. It was a simple village. Hansen with the companionship of the frankly creepy Untersturmführer Josef Mengele who somehow knew much of the inhabitant's language decided to approach them.

The villagers looked to be busy, like they were evacuating. Many of them were too preoccupied to even notice their presence, only an older gentlemen noticed them. It was this man Josef Mengele talked to.

To his ears the tongue sounded like a weird mix of Portuguese or Spanish with some vaguely German sounding words thrown in.

"Sturmbannführer this individual claims to be the village mayor and tells me of an eminent danger, a flame dragon has started attacking nearby settlements and they were about to leave with 600 of their own." Mengele explained.

"A flame dragon? How big is it compared to the Empire's own dragon troops?" Mengele proceeded to translate.

"About at least ten times." Hansen scowled.

"Damn it looks we might need the Drache after all. Does he know how long until the dragon hits?" Mengele conveyed the words.

"Unsure; however, a magician and his apprentice have spoken about investigating a nearby Elven village. Coda village which is the name of this settlement had traded with these 'Elves' for a time, the magician is worried about the current state of that elven village, however the Mayor had forbidden him to take leave which has resulted in a conflict between them." Josef explained after a lengthy conversation with the mayor.

"Elves? Magicians? Are you sure you're translating correctly?" Mengele nodded his head.

"Yes, I believe so." Hansen remained skeptical, even in the face of dragons and trolls he wasn't ready to believe in something like magic.

* * *

Their meeting with the mages was a strange one, the elder mage had a very uncomfortable similarity to Albrecht with his lecherous attitude and happy go lucky demeanor. The girl however was refreshingly straight-laced and professional, she had a no-nonsense manner of speaking. Their names were Cato el Altestan and Lelei La Lalena, strange and curious naming convention but names none the less. During the length of this conversations Cato and the village mayor had a heated argument that ended with a sort of compromise, the village mayor would grant permission to the magicians to leave but the village will not wait for them if they don't return on time. Josef also did something out of line, offering a suggestion to the villagers to flee towards New Prussia. This was something completely out of protocol; however, this was something Hansen was unable to prevent for Josef thought it prudent to inform Hansen of this after they left the village. Hansen felt disciplining the Untersturmführer would have been appropriate but decided against it. Mengele was technically an equal from the Racial office, not an underling susceptible to his command. He would need to be reprimanded by Heydrich himself.

The flippant medical officer in particular was completely invested in chatting them up as much as possible. From the moment they meet them he bombarded both of them various questions. Hansen didn't see the need to intrude on their conversations and though he didn't understand completely he was sure by his first impression of Mengele that he was no doubt drilling them about magic and the racial characteristics of the humans within this world.

The journey to the Elven village took a good 20-25 minutes. Hansen had radioed in their deviation of mission parameters, the fact they were bringing in both mages, were about to investigate the dragons attack on the elven village and of Mengele's antics.

The orders he received back were surprising.

'Do not mind Mengele. The villagers will be accepted into New Prussia; furthermore, bring back the magicians and Elf, alive if preferable.' Heydrich answered back, the tone of his voice still as smooth as silk and deprived of warmth. This wasn't surprising to Hansen though; a sizable minority of members of the Nationalist Socialist Party were very much into Pre-Christian Germanic myths. It was obvious that Mengele was a member of this camp and hence his actions were looked favorably by them. Hansen suspected that Heydrich's connection with Herr Himmler might also make him a sympathizer or outright supporter of this same group.

The village itself was nothing but a pile of ashes and corpses, a fine blanket of powdery grey blanketing the entire forest floor. The ossified remains of what seemed to be the elves seemed to be in the dozens; some clutching each other in an embrace, others burnt like shadows into the ground or the wall. It looked like a scene from the first World War.

The girl uttered a word. Hansen didn't understand it but he was confident by her tone and sad expression the meaning of it.

'Terrible.'

The men under their command were cautious but calm, their MP 38's ready to fire at anything that might prove itself hostile. Though considering what they know so far about this dragon he was convinced that they needed bigger guns for this prey.

After a lengthy sweep of the village they found no trace of survivors, Hansen stood by the relatively intact well in the village center. His thirst compelled him to throw the well's bucket back in. The sound that he heard when the bucket reached the bottom didn't sound like wood landing on water. Looking down he saw a still humanoid form.

"Flashlight, someone give me a flashlight." A nearby SS-Mann handed him what he asked for. He flashed the bottom of the well, seeing the unconscious form of a pretty human looking girl. The only thing betraying her true nature were long ears jutting from her blond hair.

"Scheisse." Hansen cursed.

* * *

Thankfully according to Mengele the poor girl suffered only a minor concussion. Although she was still out of it. They had laid the girl on the middle of the halftrack, her wet clothes laying beside her with her body wrapped in tarp. Judging from the mutterings of the mixed Waffen-SS and Heer unit they had the same thoughts.

"So this is an elf?"

"She's pretty."

"Damn how old do you think she is?"

"Mien Gott those breasts."

The perverted ramblings of his men were disgraceful, although the mention of the girl's breasts brought his attention to the mammary glands.

'Scheisse, my penis.' Hansen cursed profusely in his mind. If Aldy was here he'd never hear the end of it.

His momentary sexual distraction wouldn't last long.

The Sd kfz 251 that was driving by their side was there one moment, and gone the next. They spent several minutes looking around in confusion when it suddenly reappeared, crashing just behind them.

"DRAGON!" The driver of their own half-track screamed out. Although with everyone's eyes glued on it he was simply stating the dreadfully obvious.

"FIRE AT WILL." Hansen barked out and like one they complied, yet it was ineffective.

The dragon was massive, but its girth belied its speed. They were shooting wildly, and what bullets hit didn't seem to faze the creature.

"GO FASTER!" The half-tracks driver was not merely stepping but smashing into the pedal, yet they were simply too slow.

In a single moment, Hansen's fear and panic dissipated. His heart was buzzing with adrenaline and his mind as cold as Heydrich's voice. In an instant he evaluated his options and knew what to do.

"Gunner, aim for the thing's eyes." The MG 34 gunner himself seemed to share Hansen's nerves as he started modifying his firing solution. His shots were shockingly accurate, Hansen internally noted to ask for the man's name if they survived this.

The Dragon rocked as one of its eyes were shot out, it crashed into the dust and flailed in pain. Giving them relief.

The blue haired girl tugged the sleeves of Hansens uniform, babbling out calmly but agitated.

"She says that she can help." Mengele translated.

"Tell her that she and her mentor must do their part in fending off this beast." Although Hansen was of the opinion after seeing how the elder mage cowered, that he wasn't going to be much help.

"Someone get me a radio." Hansen steeled himself.

* * *

Albrecht Lüdemann was bored out of his mind. He was still stuck with the Heer soldiers, idly fiddling with the Drache's gun. The only noteworthy thing that happened during Hansen's absence were the sudden appearance of a bunch of ragged civilians. They were about to turn them back when they received a radio call from Hansen himself who gave them the go ahead.

That happened a good hour ago.

"A-Another call!" Schmidt squeaked out.

Lüdemann lazily took the radio receiver, standing up in attention when he heard Hansen's calm and icy voice. That voice meant Hansen was fucked, that voice meant he needed his expertise.

After Hansen explained his orders he quickly went to work.

"Goldkopf! I need you up here." The Bavarian entered the tank from above, clearly irate in being disturbed in his work.

"What do you want?" He said irritated.

"Load a PzGr 40 shell, the team's in danger." Albrecht's serious tone took the Bavarian by surprise, yet he diligently loaded the armor piercing shell into the gun.

"van Delft wake up I need you on the command chair." The half Dutchie awoke from his nap complying silently even in his drowsy state, his earlier laissez-faire attitude replaced by a drilled discipline.

"Whats the situation?" van Delft asked.

"Giant red dragon, wiped out a half of the reconnaissance team. ETA 15 minutes. " Lüdemann said clearly and calmly.

"Make that ETA now." Delft looked through the combat periscope, seeing a familiar half-track, and flying above it was a large and angry looking dragon.

"Give me a firing solution." Delft quickly gave Lüdemann the needed bearings and angle of elevation to hit the things center of mass.

The Dragon seemed disorientated, it wasn't flying in a clear line as if its depth of perception had been screwed with, not only that it seemed Hansen and the rest of the team were fighting back. Flashes of Panzerfausts firing and strange cyan energy rang out, hitting the creature's wings and further interfering with its flight path; however, even in its state it was closing in and at any moment could crush them.

Delft waited for the dragon to enter the gun's range.

"Fire at will!" At Delft's command Albrecht wolfishly grinned.

"Die for me." Albrecht whispered giddily as he pulled the trigger.

The 88mm was absolutely deafening, a roar that smothered even the dragon's. Albrecht laughed like a lunatic, completely elated at such a beautiful noise.

The shot hit its mark as the dragon crashed hard into the ground. Once the dust and debris cleared it stood. It's arm missing.

"It's flying away." Van Delft said as the Flame Dragon roared resolutely before retreating.

"I fucking love the 88." Albrecht enthusiastically said, humming quietly in utter satisfaction.


	4. All is Loud on the Eastern Front

Day 17th

22nd, October, 1939

1000 hours, Munich Reichstag Building

The atmosphere of the room within the new Munich Reichstag building was a somber and quiet one. Adolf Hitler stood high on the podium. Preparing himself for the speech he was about to unfurl at the men of the Reichstag. This impromptu session came about in the morning of the 22nd of October in the year 1939, its purpose was to address two very important pieces of news.

He took a breath, and looked into every eye of every man he could see.

"Deputies! Men of the German Reichstag! A year of world-historical events is coming to an end. A year of great decisions is approaching. In this grave period, I speak to you, deputies of the Reichstag, as the representatives of the German nation. In addition, the entire German nation should also review what has happened and take note of the decisions required by the present and the future." He said in his usual bombastic tone.

"I come here upon this stage bearing grave news. Neville Chamberlain, the great English statesman of true Aryan heritage, an ever stalwart friend of Germany who signed that most lauded of documents the Munich Agreement. Has been slain at midnight in his own home. His assassins as reported by the papers of Great Britain appear to be scoundrels of the Marxist type. A pack of venereal creatures originating within the filthy recesses of Britain's lowest life forms, the Communist Party of Great Britain. Let us as Germans mourn alongside the industrious English people; our cousins and descendants of the Germanic peoples of the Angles, Jutes, Saxons and Normans. Whose civilized Empire is a testament to the greatness of the Aryan folk. Let us oh people of Germania offer our shoulder to weeping Britannia and banish any hostilities we have had in the past." Hitler said with passion and even a bit of sincerity. He truly respected the British for their accomplishments even if they were the ones who propagated the Judeo-Capitalist liberalism of which he despised. The massive applause he received indicated the men of the Reichstag agreed as well.

"I also come bearing great news. As of now elections for a new Prime Minister is underway and I am happy to say that the chances that our fellow brothers-in-arms Oswald Mosely and his British Union of Fascists are poised to be elected into the office that rules the great nation of Britain. With agitations initiated by the Judeo-Bolsheviks of the wretched Soviet Union the people of Britain have no doubt seen the true enemy of Aryan Europe. Yet this brings us to the second piece of disturbing news." Hitler said grimly, his tone changing.

"The Soviet Union has invaded Afghanistan." The room exploded into murmurings and fevered whispers. Was this catalyst for a new World War?

"This sudden undeclared attack has produced a maddened panic within our English brothers. Two hours ago the King of Afghanistan was deposed in a communist revolution, yet these communist wretches were unable to consolidate their power amongst the proud tribes of the Afghans who fought back like those demons who resisted Alexander the Great. Unfortunately, this was the pretext for war that the Soviet Union cites. To stabilize a bordering nation. We all know what the Judeo-Bolsheviks seek is the riches of the Crown Jewel of the British Empire. The lands of India. Not only this but it seems our Japanese allies have begun losing ground in their conflict against the Chinese. They fear a direct Soviet intervention as well and have implored us to declare war upon the hated communists. Yet with the appearance of the Gate we have found ourselves in an uncomfortable junction. " The room fell into a dead silence.

"Deputies of the Reichstag, with the appearance of the Neuwelt how can we fight against the Soviets when we have a bleeding sore within the very beating heart of our glorious capital? With a direct declaration of war, we would find ourselves unprepared. The earlier plans for the liberation of German territory within Poland have been scrapped. The Polish themselves have seen the looming threat within the horizon and beg for German assistance in an inevitable conflict with the Bolsheviks. Even France whose enmity with our fair nation stretches back to the times of the Capets has launched diplomatic talks looking for a non-aggression pact with Germany in response to the Communist Chinese invasion of French Indochina and a potential civil war within their own borders with communist agitators. Very soon we would find ourselves in another new war against the Soviet Union and its puppets. Hence we must deal with the Gate with immediate urgency. This 'Empire' that has declared war against our nation must be dealt with, no more playing games, no more measured responses. They will concede either through utter fiery destruction or meek subjugation!" The room erupted into bombastic yelling. The men of the Reichstag outstretching their arms as they intoned Seig Heil as one.

"This Neuwelt is no doubt a sign from a divine providence, a world with mystical connections to our Aryan ancestors, a world with countless resources and riches for our glorious Reich. With this Neuwelt the dream of a thousand year Reich would be accomplished within a mere decade. Out of all places on Earth, from old and ancient Mesopotamia to the young North America. This Gate appeared here and here alone. With this gift we shall grow strong and powerful! With this Germany will be great once more!" With a final shout Hitler saluted to deafening cheers and hollering.

The German Reich was mobilizing for total war.

* * *

He never expected this, it was a very unique set of circumstances to be honest. One of his most stalwart political enemies, now inviting him to a luncheon.

"Come now Mosely don't be rude, even if you're a fascist you still need to observe British etiquette." Churchill was chomping on those cigars he loved so much, the old bulldog had quickly become the expected candidate for Prime Minister, Chamberlain's first choice Lord Halifax had opted because he thought a member of the House of Lords did not have the skills to lead the country in such tumultuous times.

Oswald had no idea why he was here.

"Forgive me Churchill, but I'm surprised a Freemason and the head Tory would bother having such a civil pleasant afternoon with a damned dirty Fascist." Oswald Mosely was the complete opposite of Churchill, smooth, young and handsome with a clear crisp voice in comparison to Churchill's rough tone and slight lisp.

"Come now it's not even half past noon and already you're being an insufferable arse." Churchill blew out a puff of smoke, obviously irritated with Oswald's presence.

"Enough with the pleasantries Sir Winston Spencer-Churchill, we both know you have an ulterior motive for me inviting into your lovely country house." Winston twitched at Oswald's usage of Spencer along with Churchill. He did not take offense to it exactly, but the way Oswald said it.

"Alright let us dispel this passive aggressive banter. I don't like you Mosely, I believe your ideology is no better than those of the Russians; your stance on liberty, free trade and associations with Mussolini do not endear you to me at all. I however find it slightly more tolerable because it at least has some veneer of pseudo-intellectual foundation hence in the event that I happen to be given the honor of Prime Ministry you will be made Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom." At this Oswald Mosely raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I'm sorry but I'm not sure that such a position exists. "Churchill rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't you're going to be the first." Oswald just raised his eyes in bewilderment.

"My, my you're not even Prime Minister yet and already you're making up ministerial powers out of thin air." Churchill's eyes narrowed.

"Enough with the jokes. You know full well the threat that's facing us now." Oswald's demeanor changed, he sat up, hearing tentatively.

"The Soviets?" Churchill nodded.

"They're getting a bit too big for their britches, without the German pressure they've focused on spreading their cancerous ideals to the east, Afghanistan has fallen and China is about to be unified by another communist regime. India, Singapore, Hong Kong and many of our other dominions are in danger. Iran is starting to feel the pressure from the Soviets as well which might lead to the Middle-East being threatened as well." Oswald clasped his hands together in obvious thought.

"And I guess all of this happened just within a span of two months ever since that Gate opened? Were the Soviets really that fearful of a conflict with Germany?" Churchill shrugged.

"I have no clue, but what I do have a clue about is the danger Stalin poses to us all. Poland has started sending missives about escalating hostility in its borders. They've grown desperate enough to even willingly offer the National Socialists some of the lands Germany lost in WWI." Oswald's eyes opened at this.

Churchill smiled as he looked at Oswald's concerned face, content that his point had come across.

"Not only that but relations with the Americans are growing a bit cold. Roosevelt has decided to not run for the Presidency and from what our boys are gathering it seems many of the potential candidates are a bit apprehensive at waging war against the Soviets and a very isolationist atmosphere has gripped our normally gun ho allies; imagine, years preparing a war with the Germans in response to their cheeky antics in Austria and Czechoslovakia all up in smoke. France as well is on the verge of a civil war, which leaves at only one potential counter balance to the Soviets." Mosely just smiled coyly.

"Oh no don't tell me." He said amused.

"Oswald Mosely, your British Union of Fascists in the aftermath of Chamberlain's assassination have practically stolen the votes of the Labour Party. You do not have the sufficient support to be the ruling party but have enough for you to become Leader of the Opposition. In light of the recent unpleasantness going on around the world I sincerely hope that you would do your part for King and country and officiate a defensive pact with the Axis powers." Churchill stood up, offering his hand.

Oswald was stunned for a bit, completely at a loss of words. He took a scone on a nearby tray, taking a bite and chewing it before swallowing. He then returned his attention back at Churchill.

"What about all of that nasty things you hate about Fascism and National Socialism? The totalitarianism? The Anti-Semitism?" Churchill's face hardened.

"In the face of geo-political hardships pragmatism trumps ideology."He said straight-laced

"Well then, Rule Britannia and God Save the King then." Oswald smiled, taking Churchill's hand and giving in a firm shake.

* * *

Heydrich was never a man to buckle under normal strain, as the 'Man with an Iron Heart' he was capable of instrumenting many atrocious deeds without nary a blink of the eye. Yet the sheer amount of paperwork he had to do even with a full staff was starting to overwhelm him. New Prussia had grown into a bustling small town. So many branches of the German military were starting to enter now.

The Luftwaffe were quickly constructing new airfields, bringing in aircraft both modern and old. No doubt Hansen's report of a flying dragon has excited the air force and now two Geschwader (Wings) were stationed here,one for bombing and another for interception.

Hell even the fucking Kriegsmarine were bothering him with countless missives and requests. It got so bad that he even sent a reconnaissance force to look for any rivers or streams, in the hopes of finding a large body of water far away from the base so that the War Navy could build their own, piss off and stop bothering him.

The only thing he liked about this situation was the 'classified' requests. New tanks, new aircraft and new ways to kill more people. It seemed less like he was waging a war and more like he was conducting a large scale weapons test. It made him feel so excited, to see and witness new weapons of war being used against helpless foes, this must have what God felt when he allowed the Red Sea to drown the Egyptians. What did the Empire feel when they face them?

Fear? Awe? Wonderment ?Regret? Foolishness at striking the very Gods themselves?

The thought of it all gave him an utter rush.

"Mien Obergruppenführer." A mere SS-Mann suddenly barged into his office, seemingly heedless of his current predicament.

"Can't you see I'm busy Mann?"Heydrich said with a deadly edge.

"I'm…..sorry…..but we have a situation." He panted out timidly.

"What is it?"

"A strange girl, with a large scythe and wearing a dress. She's at the front gate." He said with much longer sentences.

"How did she get past the mines and machine gun emplacements?" The Mann, started to have a fervent look of disbelief.

"They tried to stop her but s-she ignored them! None of our weapons had an effect on her!S-She didn't even respond she just kept walking on!"

This stared to concern Heydrich.

"If she's not willing to engage us why not tell her to leave?"

"W-We can't. The men are too afraid to even approach her!"

"What?"

"They're afraid of her, some of the veterans from WWI say they feel death itself emanating within her presence." Heydrich pinched the bridge of his nose, aghast at the incompetence of his men.

"Lead the way." He said as he gathered his coat and sidearm.

Prepared to have a talk with this 'immortal' girl.


	5. Mini Chapter: Arbeit macht frei

I fell, the night sky was beautiful. I wanted to fly, I wanted to reach out for the stars with my hands. Yet I was falling, and when I touched the ground I'd no longer fly.

It might have been cliché but I started seeing my life flashing before her eyes. I remembered the circumstances of my birth, born as a slave. My mother died in childbirth while father died during a slave revolt. I remembered the woman who I was born under, compared to my future slave holders she was a saint. She wasn't entirely kind, but she was fair and strict whenever her guards started getting 'playing around with the girls'. It was a pity that she died. Her son inherited her household and he was a far worse brute. I remembered losing my maidenhood to him. It was one of the most terrible things I've ever felt, but he eventually got bored and sold me to a friend of him. He was a mage, a weird and eccentric mage. He was marginally better than the previous one, mostly because he had his fun with young boy slaves and left the female ones alones. After him I was sold to a bartender, a nice man who treated me like a daughter but with a terrible temper, I remembered getting several beatings whenever I screwed up too much.

Eventually a very powerful noble took notice of me, forced the bartender to sell me to him. I was only under him for two weeks and I learned to hate him, he combined all the worst aspects of my former masters into one disgusting package. I thank the Gods he died quickly, unfortunately he was killed in the Alnus battle and I was with him as a camp follower.

Never in my life had I seen such a dreadful sight; Iron chariots that unleashed terrible explosions. I was too afraid to even run and that was how many of us got enslaved by the Deutsche as they called themselves in their strange tongue.

They were humans like the Empire, yet they were far more powerful. With iron crossbows that let loose invisible arrows that often killed in a single blow. I remembered being herded along with any survivors they could find into these horseless carriages. I remember seeing what was Alnus hill, now a massive spider web of stone buildings and iron webbing. I remember seeing the iron chariots being worked on, and the Deutsche all gawking at us, utterly stupefied by our appearances.

Then I remembered working. The Deutsche were slavemasters who expected us to work, I remember their leader. I liked his coat. His name was Sulza, every one of the slaves feared him, he was the only one of the Deutsche who spoke our tongue. His voice was low and terrible to hear, like gravel tumbling down the mountainside. He had a bad temper and even the goblins and orcs didn't dare to incur his wrath.

He made us line these strange iron tracks that these large massive iron chariots used to travel on. I heard the word they used for it, it was called Zug and the tracks Eisenbahn. Those were among words I heard often whenever the Deutsche talked about our work. The words that we heard the most. That the Deusche spoke in our tongue as well was:

"Work sets you free."

It was like a mantra, a creed. They made us repeat it over and over.

Sulza's men called him Hauptsturmführer. I didn't know if it was his first name or some sort of title. All I know was that he called the shots. Which was why I targeted him.

I did my best to endear myself to him, I tried all I could to make him want me. Yet it didn't work. I was surprised.

All my life spent nothing more than an object to be played with and here was a man who didn't want to. I dare say he treated me more like a person than anyone who's over owned me.

Instead we became friends, he'd give me lighter work and sometimes even gave me a tour of the Zug. It was long and spacious. With many rooms and many windows. He even invited me into his own carriage. He told me about his life. How he spent most of his childhood as a worker in a factory, it sounded like my story as well. I learned his full name. Ferdinand Sulza, I learned how he loved music and how he wanted to become a composer. He said I got his attention when I hummed pretty tune.

Eventually I started changing tactics. I tried to make him fall in love with me. It worked, but it backfired because I ended up falling as well. He loved my wings. I loved his tender touch. He called me 'Songvogal' it meant song bird I think in his language. He loved my singing, and I loved how he listened.

I could have stayed, but I didn't. I was still a slave and him a slave master. I wanted freedom even if I loved him.

I took advantage of his kindness, took his keys while we slept in his carriage. I unlocked the manacles. I spread my wings and I flew.

I was happy, so happy, yet it wouldn't last.

I fell, the night sky was beautiful. An invisible arrow had torn my left wing. I fell to the ground with a thump. My legs in so much pain.

I crawled away, only to feel a familiar touch. I turned and I saw his face.

Sulza.

He had a mask of utter rage and pain.

He stood up.

Took out his small iron crossbow.

His words were bitter and cold.

"Arbeit macht frei." Those were his final words to me that night.


	6. Drang nach Süden

30th, October, 1939

0710 hours, New Prussia barracks

He opened his eyes, the crisp glare of morning sunlight pouring directly into his eyes. He blinked, once then twice. A fuzzy figure coalescing into existence.

Wait.

His eyes widened in both alarm and surprise. A half-naked girl of very questionable age was straddling him. Her thighs uncomfortably rubbing against his genitalia.

Well, this was different.

"So you're the Dragon tamer? I've heard so much about you." She purred out in a seductive tone.

Hansen lied there frozen, spending several seconds processing what was going on.

"H-HANSEN YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Lüdemann angrily shouted out from the bottom bunk, envious of Max's position.

"Ms. Mercury I regret to inform you that there is a strict policy when it comes to fraternization with Waffen SS personal." Heydrich suddenly blurted out, his presence coming as a complete surprise. He was standing by the door. By his side were a blushing Lelei and Tuka.

"Come on now Sir Heydrich, I told you I'd inspect the man responsible for the Dragon's defeat." She whined out like a teenager while her hands glided down Hansen's chest.

"B-BULLSHIT! I WAS THE ONE WHO FIRED THE 88mm! I-I SHOULD BE THE ONE BEING RIDDEN ON!" Albrecht pointed with a shaky finger, standing up with only his underwear, sputtering dumbly and oblivious to the vulgarity of his words. His perverted ramblings flustering the two other young women further.

Rory stood up, her naked form basked in the glory of the sun.

Lüdemann simply stared dumbfounded with jaws hanging open. She jumped, right into his dumbstruck arms.

"I hope you don't mind me sharing?" She giggled out, winking at a reddening Lüdemann.

"Hey leave Lüdemann alone. He might talk big but the young man has never held a girls' hand. I fear your seducing manner might be too much for his heart." Hansen quickly regained his bearings. He was slightly flustered at such an arousing awakening but luckily he experienced this once before, albeit it was a long time ago when he was very young and very stupid.

"Alright that's enough fun, I need you both for a briefing. There's been some interesting developments that require your immediate attention." Heydrich said in a firm and low voice.

* * *

Hansen had promised himself after facing the Dragon to never let this world and its oddities take him by surprise again and already he had broken this promise.

An actual demigoddess, an immortal priestess of a living tangible God. When Heydrich explained it to him he was staring at him like he had grown a second head. When he shot her in the stomach he almost called Heydrich a psychopath, when she got back up no worse for wear (although very annoyed at being shot in the gut) he was close to losing his mind.

A young girl with very inappropriate attire surviving a point black shot, not only that the bullet just slithered out of the wound.

Heydrich had managed to calm him down, explaining how she had suddenly appeared at the base's front entrance demanding a meeting with those who fought against the Flame Dragon and survived. Heydrich let her pass simply because she laughed when a bullet lodged itself within her temple and wiggled out. He might have been a possible sociopath but even Heydrich recognized that sometimes you don't fight against something that can't be fought.

Eventually they found themselves within a debriefing room. The briefing was a simple and relatively short affair that was about 30 minutes in length.

The Reichstag was clamoring for Hansen and the other participants of the reconnaissance mission to return and explain their findings. They wanted to know everything that happened between the Battle of New Prussia to the Battle with the Flame Dragon from their own mouths and it seems the three young women were also invited.

Speaking of which Hansen had spent a good part of the week formulating his options of their two new arrivals.

Lelei was surprisingly sharp for a 15-year-old. The young mage was now able read and speak conversational German, just within a solid week. It was remarkable really for If she had been born under the Reich she'd been labelled a prodigy and would have been married to husband of similar qualities. She and Mengele were like two peas in a pod. Always chitterlings about the most random of subjects. Hansen had remembered distinctly during a cafeteria break them talking about bratwurst for apparently she had never seen meat shaped like that.

Tuka was a more special case. Ever since they rescued her she has clung to Hansen like he was the only thing keeping her alive, and frankly Hansen was sure that was the case. She had started calling her 'Father', always doing what she said. Following him like a puppy According to Mengele with his limited knowledge of psychology it seemed she might be traumatized. Hansen himself was very uncomfortable around her. She had reminded him of someone lost long ago, one who died to a pointless war.

Rory, well just within hours he knew what kind of girl she was. If you ignored the immortality and predisposition towards great violence she was in essence a teasing flirt. Albrecht proved especially very susceptible to her sway. Hansen saw it fit to give his friend a break, explaining to her how he was responsible for the Dragon's defeat. He smiled gleefully as he saw his best friend break down under the demigoddess's affections. Lüdemann loved to act suave with a swagger but the poor man was in truth hopeless around the fairer sex. He was a master in leading and playing with hearts sure but whenever a woman had shown any serious interest in him he would flee faster than a Jew during a bank run.

These three women were heralds for greater things to come.

The New Prussian base was bustling now. Even with all the sentries and mines many refugees from the surrounding devastated areas had started setting up shop. Hansen initially considered it curiously out of protocol although it seems that the Rassenamt (Racial Office) had been the ones responsible for this change in policy. Many of the refugees who initially arrived were quarantined and underwent medical examinations both on the living and the dead that they brought, felicitating several protests of those who wished to respect the fallen; but they lacked any sort of upper hand to argue with.

According to Mengele they were trying to catalogue the racial types of every human, and even some non-humans surprisingly. Tuka for example had stirred a storm within the base, men from both the Heer and Waffen-SS completely head over heels with the beautiful Elf. Mengele himself had conducted examinations on her and confidently tells anyone who would listen about how non-humans can be Aryan. The rumor mill has been pumping out countless juicy stories and the one prevalent among them is about how a Neo-Pagan movement has flourished within the ranks of the Party. One that proclaims that those creatures of the Neuwelt who can be found within German legends should be 'civilized' rather than 'displaced'.

All in all, it seems great change was on the horizon.

* * *

"So these scales fetch a handsome price eh?" Mengele asked in the midst of Rory harvesting the scales of one of the fallen smaller dragons from the Battle of New Prussia.

The dragon corpses were surprisingly fresh even after being kept in cold storage underneath the morgue for weeks. Many scientists and biologists from Germany were granted special access to these facilities. Where they would study the corpses and the specimens they managed to capture.

"Yes, with the sudden influx of refugees these scales would be integral in procuring more food and other goods." Lelei answered back.

"I'm curious as to how trade works here. Wouldn't these scales inflate the market?" Lelei turned her head, obviously stumped by the question.

Mengele took some few seconds to explain the concept of inflation.

"Oh, well that's not going to be a problem. We might not harvest that many scales. Whatever you did to these dragons have mangled their bodies considerably. I don't think we'd collect enough to make them worthless." Mengele turned back to Rory who was spitting out something that had gotten into her mouth when her scythe pierced the corpse.

"Interesting, also I've managed to procure permission from the Obergruppenführer to procure an escort. One headed by Hansen again due to another shortage of manpower. I hope this is to your liking." Tuka beamed at the mention of Hansen while Lelei nodded.

"Is my darling coming too?" Mercury cooed out.

"Yes the Obersturmführer is accompanying us as well." Mercury swayed and sighed dancing like a village girl in love with the preacher's son.

Mengele couldn't help but feel pity for Albrecht.

* * *

He never liked people. He preferred the solitude of the morgue. None to disturb him, his only companions the empty decaying shells of once breathing creatures. Death was an interesting thing, the end that always comes. Yet to spend ones already scarce life obsessing over it, what sort of man would do such a thing? He always asked himself what kind of man he was.

The body before him was a young female judging from the lifespans studied on several earlier specimens he was confident she was around 16-18 years of age. Even with the many obvious avian qualities this species called 'Sirens' by the local inhabits seemed to have a lifespan comparable to humans. So much of their biology mimicked that of a man. The only thing of any major note was the increased tensile strength of the musculature and the increased prevalence of cartilage. Even with this difference these creatures should not be able to fly in normal atmospheric Earth conditions.

Yet according to other members of the scientific team the conditions of this planet compared to Earth's was significantly different. Gravity was slighter lower, and through angular distance the planet seems to be about 1.6 times larger than Earth. Such minute differences yet very important in retrospect.

Many new discoveries were principally being undertaken within this facility. The Olnen Mine/Camp, located directly south-west of New Prussia. A reconnaissance force had been investigating the south and came across a large Trollish tribe that had settled within an abandoned mine. After clearing them out they discovered Scheelite and Cassiterite, the ores for Tungsten and Tin restively. Massive deposits of them that Obergruppenführer Heydrich deemed strategically important enough to warrant excavation. That was a week ago. Now a small facility had been quickly built up. A research stattion and a concentration camp for Imperial survivors and remnants of the Troll tribe.

The unfortunate Siren before him was one of the workers here. He was unsure on the detail but apparently the Camp Commandant Hauptsturmführer Sulza had personally saw to this Siren's demise. He was unsure why.

He was about to delve deeper into the specimen's inner physiology when he heard a knock on the door.

The man scowled. He did not like entertaining visitors.

He did not bother removing is gloves or gas mask, directly heading for the door and opening it.

He was surprised to see a familiar face.

"Hauptsturmführer?" He asked curiously, looking at the scarred man and the body he was carrying.

"I need your help."

* * *

He never expected that he was going to perform surgery on a live subject. He had spent two hours on the girl's wounds. A left wing with a lodged bullet, if not handled carefully this could permanently cripple this specimen.

The room was ripe with quiet and a tinge of tension. The Siren whose name was apparently Myuute did not wince nor complain as he did the work on her wings. In fact he had this feeling she was more afraid of Sulza than the pain.

"So can you mind telling me how she got this wound Hauptsturmführer?" Sulza was quiet for a time, only answering after the Siren stared at him, with eyes full of sorrow and regret.

"She tried to escape while on railway building duty." He was unconvinced of the answers accuracy.

He had a good feeling about what was happening here.

"May I remind you that sexual intercourse with inhabitants from the Neuwelt is strictly prohibited under Rassenamt guidelines." At this both parties turned their faces away in embarrassment.

"How dare you suggest that I woul- I don't even know your name." He turned towards Sulza, his gas mask fixated on him.

"Untersturmführer Karl Ruprecht Kroenen." Kroenen said as he did the final touches on the girls stitching.

"I suggest about four days of rest, after that I must reexamine the wound. " The Siren stood up, her green feathers slightly fluttering as she tested her wings.

"W-Why let me live?" She finally said, Kroenen was sure this was directed at Sulza.

"It would be a waste of a bullet." Sulza said bitterly.

"T-That's not a good excuse. You could have strangled me, done so much more. I-I why?" She said, with tears dripping down her eyes and on to his recently clean laminated floor.

This was why Korenen disliked people. All the drama and package of interpersonal relationships. 


	7. Stuka

31st, October, 1939

1200 hours, Walls of Italica

She felt the perspiration on her palms, her hands shivering as she held the blade. Three seconds earlier she had just stabbed a man in the eye with her sword. She saw him open his mouth in utter shock, before dropping down into the stone floor with nary a sound.

Her heart beating faster as his blood seeped into her boots. She started breathing heavily, but was quick enough to avoid an axe-head aimed at her neck. She lashed out widely, her blade biting into a man's gut. He screamed clutching his wound as he knelt on the floor. She looked at him and saw a boy no older than she was.

Tears pouring down his cheeks.

"P-Please." He gurgled out.

She hesitated, then shoved her sword down his neck.

"I-I'm so sorry." Was all she could repeat as the light left his eyes.

"PRINCESS!" Princess Pina Co Lada snapped back into reality, the skin of her scalp tingling as a steel blade glided through the empty air. Grey had managed to dig deep into the side of the Orc who swung the blade.

"They're now on the walls! What do we do?" The seasoned knight barked out.

"W-We can't afford to let them through!We have to push them back." The Princess managed to recover the bravery in her voice, shouting out her orders as loud as she could.

Just then they heard a terrible sound, a scream of utmost agony.

"NORMA!" Hamilton shouted from beneath the walls, her eyes stuck in a mask of fear as a horrendous conglomerate of human corpses burst from the ground and impaled Norma from under.

"W-What is that!" One of the Italica defenders screamed out in a fervent panic.

"I-It's a Fog Golem!" One of the deserters answered.

The Golem roared and its horrible sound drove men from both sides into a horrified retreat, leaving Hamilton alone to fend for herself.

Fog Golem, that was the word given to the victims of the Blackshirt's death cloud. No one knew exactly what the cloud did but those who fell victim to it had fused into each other. Creating towering blobs of abominable unholy flesh.

They had appeared shortly after the Battle of Alnus Hill and were one reason for the scorched earth tactics of the Empire. There was only one way to kill them.

Grey ran down the wall, putting himself between the creature and Hamilton.

"HAMILTON! LOOK FOR A FLASK OF OIL!" PRINCESS FIND A TORCH! I'LL DISTRACT THE GOLEM!" Grey said as he vaulted below a sweeping strike towards his head, the creatures missed blow overturning a cart of hay.

Hamilton was too paralyzed by fear to listen; however, the Princess was able to find a flask of oil and a still light torch from within one of the wall towers.

She had arrived just in time to see Grey being hurled away by a single strike.

"Grey!" The Princess said in fear for his life.

The golem turned as it heard her voice

"K-Kill it now!" Grey screamed as the creature was heading towards her.

Pina cursed, throwing the flask of oil and missing the creature completely. Yet the creature wasn't her goal. As the golem grew nearer she threw the torch, the oil mixed with the hay from the upturned cart produced a conflagration that the golem was unable to avoid due to momentum.

Its wretched screams a harbinger to the end of the First Battle of Italica.

The First Battle of Italica was a large one that consisted of a deserter army 10,000 strong. The Princess and her Knights along the remnants of what defenders were available to the town of Italica.

* * *

In the end only around three thousand of the enemy forced have been slain or driven off while almost half of the defenders were spent. Another siege would have driven them out. The Countess Formal an eleven year old girl was now the current lord of the City of Italica, her elder sisters were inadequate to lead; however, in practice most of her supposed duties were relegated to the head maid of her household.

She and Pina were currently in the midst of an argument.

"We can't just leave! "The Countess yelled angrily.

"We have no choice! Not only do we have an army upon us but we have Fog Golems as well! One of them managed to burrow beneath the walls and kill one of my men! How many do you think are out there just ready to ambush us in this prison!" Pina responded with just as much fury and anger.

"Which is the point! If we evacuate we are leaving ourselves open to the Golems! In Italica we have the numbers and importantly lots of fire starting materials! The Flesh Golems are terrified of fire; you're asking us to abandon are only means of fending them off!" Pina scowled, she couldn't argue with her logic.

"If I may interject." The Head Maid bowed in humble respect, hopefully she would break this current impasse.

"I believe that the mistress has the right idea. The Fog Golem's have been roaming around the outskirts of the city for some time without once going near our walls. Felicia?" One of the maids, a catwoman stepped forward.

"I think the deserter army has a mage capable of controlling the Fog Golems, in fact I think they may be the origins of them. In the aftermath of the Alnus Battle I felt a surge of terrible energy, call it a cat's intuition. No doubt considering what these creatures are made of I believe that a necromancer could be responsible. "Pina widened her eyes.

"A-A necromancer? But the Imperial army never had a necromancer!"

Felicia shook her head.

"This necromancer is a scavenger.I believe stories about the death cloud might be responsible for bringing them here; however, they might have made a mistake for it seems their control over the beasts is tumultuous at best."

"So if we find this necromancer we can put an end to the Fog Golems?" Pina asked apprehensively.

"Most likely." Felicia said.

"Then I know what I must do." The princess said with a fiery determination in her eyes. Italica will not fall and Norma will be avenged.

* * *

"What's your name?" The gunner looked straight at him, hazel eyes like that of a hawks were all that stared into him. Hansen was quick to regret asking him the question.

The reconnaissance force was a lot smaller than the last one. Currently present were Albrecht, Josef, Tuka, Lelei, Rory and the tank crew of the Drache. The half-track was driven by Jan van Delft, while his men were lounging about. The only new face here was the gunner. The same gunner who shot out the dragon's eye.

Lelei was too busy talking to Mengele, Lüdemann was trying to avoid getting wooed by the demigoddess and Tuka was getting hit on by the very nervous radio operator Schmidt.

He tried figuring out what to ask but decided a simple classic was sufficient.

His death inducing stare suggested otherwise.

"Scharführer Hans Richter." He said in a monotone.

"Where are you from?" Hansen decided to continue.

"Essen."

"The Ruhr? They do a lot of hunting there?" Hansen tried to make small talk, well what he thought was small talk.

"No although there was a time when hunting Frenchmen was common." At this Hansen understood just what kind of man Richter was.

"How old were you during the war?" Richter smiled chillingly, it seems he was pleased that Hansen was capable of following his thoughts.

"Fifteen."

"You lied to join? Well can't berate you considering it was such a common practice. How many you've killed?" Richter looked up, mentally calculating how many that died.

"Twenty-Eight." Hansen whistled.

"You have a deadly aim, you a sniper?"

"No."

"You don't talk much do you Richter?" He inclined his head by an inch.

"I didn't join the Waffen-SS to talk Herr Sturmbannführer." Hansen nodded in agreement, taking out a cigarette from his jack pocket.

"Want one?" Richter's face contorted into one of disgust, raising his hand in protest.

"I see you're like our Fuhrer. No cigarettes. I can respect that." Hansen returned the cigarette, seeing no use to smoke in front of someone who didn't take kindly to it.

"Tobacco clouds the mind, drugs and alcohol too. The Volk need no need for such things. Only the will is important." Richter's had a zealous look to his face, one of a true believer. Looks like he didn't need to ask why he joined the SS.

"Sturmbannführer we're approaching the city in 10 minutes, how are we going to greet the natives?" Mengele said while consulting Lelei, Hansen patted Richter's shoulder who acknowledged the end of their short conversation.

"Since we don't have the Drachen we'll try diplomacy this time." Hansen saw the pillars of smoke that was now rising on the dimming horizon.

"Although I very much doubt it's going to be as simple as that. "He noted grimly.

* * *

An important guest, that was the only details that the missive entailed. An important guest close to the Fuhrer will arrive at exactly 1600 hours.

Heydrich stood at attention in his coat, a contingent of his men lining themselves besides the Gate's entrance.

The Gate opened, and what came out surprised him.

"Herr Ribbentrop?" Heydrich said completely taken by these series of events.

Joachim von Ribbentrop; the foreign minister of the German Reich was flanked by Hitler's personal guards the Leibstandarte, riding on a Mercedes-Benz 770 Series II with the new Panzerkampfwagon IV's by his side.

"Obergruppenführer, I see you're getting comfortable in your new position. How does it feel being the highest ranked individual of the Reich within the Neuwelt?" Ribbentrop was a blunt and rough individual, a personality that Hitler somehow found refreshing in a diplomat for some odd reason.

"It's been a wonderful experience. Although I'm surprised by how understaffed this outpost is. I assume you're here to rectify that?" Joachim smiled, motioning his hand to a seat in his car. Heydrich nodded, taking note that the leather seats were quite comfortable compared to the chair he was often glued to in his office. He took his seat, noticing a young man who looked similar to Ribbentrop was sitting beside him. The young man looked to be SS and an Untersturmführer with no other indications of what regiment he was serving in.

"That's nice, would you mind give me a tour of Neupreußen?" The corners of Heydrich's mouth raised slightly showing a hint of his displeasure at having his time wasted. In the end however he complied.

He gave them the tour; showing them the depot, the new airfields, the headquarters building, the barracks and the new town that had spring up within the heart of New Prussia. It was relatively plain, Heydrich had no desire to put flourishes into his tour and simply focused on the layman of what each facility was responsible for.

Thirty minutes in Ribbentrop spoke up.

"I'm famished. Rudolf are you hungry as well?" He turned to the younger man.

"I'm fine father." Heydrich raised his brow, his son?

"Come now you haven't eaten since the morn! Herr Obergruppenführer can you suggest what fine dining would be available to us?" Heydrich grinded his teeth together. Normally Ribbentrop would have dispensed with the pleasantries and get down to business. What was the purpose of all this vapid conversation?

"I just know one place." He stated as emotionless as he could, having no reason to show Ribbentrop just how much of his hospitality was being stretched thin.

The restaurant he introduced them too was festive and native. The foods it provided were a strange mix of the Germanic and Mediterranean.

The proprietor of the restaurant was from an Italian volunteer force sent by Mussolini, most of their dishes catered to the higher officers and the more well off troops.

During their long meal they had a lengthy discussion.

"Opening diplomatic channels with the Empire?"Heydrich questioned the wisdom in such a plan, taking a sip from his tankard.

"Yes, the Fuhrer wishes to learn more from this Empire and wants an expedited end to hostilities. I hope you're aware of the geopolitical landscape that's changing back home." Ribbentrop said, taking a bite from the salmon he was dining on.

"The Soviets have been mobilizing correct? Not to mention the possible British alliance. As head of the intelligence offices you really should not doubt my capabilities." Ribbentrop raised his hands up in a surrendering fashion.

"I meant no offense mien Obergruppenführer. Now back to the Fuhrers wish. If you ever have the chance to make peaceful contact with our enemies I would ask that you would task my son as your diplomat." Heydrich looked towards at the boy who steely met his gaze. He had to give credit for his willingness to face him.

"Is your son a qualified diplomat? How old is he, eighteen? Why on earth would the Fuhrer let your son deal with something as important as this?" Ribbentrop raised his hand, trying to finish chewing the last remnants of his meal.

"Most of our senior diplomats including myself are busily attending to other matters that require immediate scrutiny and care. My son had spent much of his time learning over the new dictionaries that were created for the Neuwelt. He is willing to make his father and fatherland proud." Ribbentrop said while patting his son on the shoulder.

Heydrich just nodded in silence, deprived of the energy or will to complain about this obvious nepotism.

At the end of the tour Ribbentrop left as fast as he came, not even spending the whole night over. Leaving his son like he was some sort of orphan. Heydrich looked at the young lad, all of his luggage at hand and a determined look in his eyes.

'This one might have steel in him.' He thought silently as he guided him to his quarters.

"How soon can I report for duty Herr Obergruppenführer." He said as they reached his quarters, the time nearing 1900 hours.

"By the morn, or now considering the ruckus." An air horn sounded out during the middle of the base, spotlights turning on and the sounds of aircraft engines roaring in the sky.

A messenger scurried frantically by the barracks.

"Sir! Sturmbannführer Hansen has radioed in for aerial support! The Luftwaffe are asking for permission to take off!" Heydrich scowled.

"What's the Sturmbannführer's current situation?!" Heydrich shouted in the midst of the background noise.

"An army has converged on their position! They are requesting a tactical bombing!" Heydrich licked his lips for a while.

"How many Geschwader (Wing _)_ are the Luftwaffe capable of fielding?"

"Only one sir!"

'Damn' Heydrich cursed internally. The Luftwaffe in the Neuwelt was an entirely new Fliegerkorps (Air Corps) that was working overtime to establish an aerial presence. This new Fliegerkorps was subject to the oversight of Luftflotte 1 (Air Fleet 1) stationed in Berlin. This Fleigerkorps was under the command of General der Flieger Alfred Keller who technically had a comparative and equal rank to Heydrich within the Luftwaffe; however, the Luftwaffe had to concede to Heyrdich's authority as overall commander of the Neuwelt invasion force and would need his permission for any sort of sorties.

"Rally my permission to General der Flieger Keller, his men have my permission to act." The messenger did a salute before running as fast as he could.

It seemed this night was going to be a lively one.

* * *

"You're one of the Blackshirts?" The Countess Formal apphrehensively said, earlier in the evening the Princess had brought these strangers into the confines of her own home. She didn't know why the Princess brought them here until she mentioned they were responsible for the Death Cloud.

Hansen stood at attention, then did the Hitler salute.

"Sturmbannführer Max Hansen! Commanding officer of the 1st SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment operating within the 4TH SS division Berliner." Hansen said forcefully and authoritatively, needed to show strength after all.

All in the room the Countess, the Princess, the maids and even his own soldiers just stared at him with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Max I think you might want to tone that down a bit?" Albrecht whispered into his ears.

"… Okay Sturmbannführer What business do you have here?" The Countess Formal asked, her eyes going back and forth from the Princess to the Sturmbannführer.

"Alright." Hansen prepared himself, taking out the German-New Worlder dictionary as to not leave anything to chance.

"We arrived here in order to trade. We encountered… royalty? Yes, we encountered a Princess who asked us for assistance. "Hansen awkwardly said much to Mengele's chagrin.

Josef shook his head, it seemed Hansen needed more lessons.

From her seat the Countess raised her brow in confusion, his accent was thick but she was able to understand the gist of most of it.

"Princess Pina, why on earth did you let Blackshirts in here?" The Princess fidgeted to the question.

"I-I thought that they'd be useful against the enemy army and Fog Golems." She said nervously.

"But aren't you enemies?" Hansen and the Princess stared at each other, their synchronized nodding hinted some sort of secret agreement.

"When we greeted them at the western wall we had a lengthy discussion. By the end of it we agreed that fending off the deserters and Fog Golems would be our first priority." Pina explained.

"And about the Fog Golems." Lelei stepped forward, her attire a perfect indication to the Formal Household and the Imperial knights of her magical abilities.

"I don't believe Necromancy is strictly involved." There was a low key murmur within the room.

"What do you mean?" The Head Maid asked.

"Dr. Mengele explained to me just what exactly the death cloud was. A chemical weapon deprived from naturally occurring substances processed into a gaseous form. I believe an alchemist must have tapped into some unknown magical quality of this weapon and unknowingly created the Golems which would explain why they're so wild." Lelei explained stoically.

"So killing the mage would not solve our problems?" Lelei shook her head to Pina's question.

"That's just great…." Pina sighed.

"Well then lets not waste more time. We should work on a plan to protect this place no?" Mengele intervened, they needed to be expedient.

After about 15 minutes of discussion the defenders of Italica had come up with a strategy to protect Italica.

By the end it would have all gone to the gutter.

* * *

"Uhhmmpf." Lüdemann started wiping off the sweat off his forehead. The demigoddess' erotic sounding moaning's seemed to make him quite nervous.

"Aldy what the fuck are you doing?" Hansen said idly while staring through binocular telescopes, looking over the darkened horizon for any 'threats'.

"Shut the fuck up Hansen, I have no idea why she's going on like that." Aldy shivered as a left hand glided up his leg.

"D-Darling. I need to kill. I can't hold it in, I need to commit violence." She moaned out.

"She wants to commit bloody violence Lüdemann." Hansen dully said.

The Princess had sent them to the east wall, telling him it was the safest. Hansen however was pretty confident that the East Wall would be where most of the army would make their attack. He doubted that the Princess would allow her men and the last defenders of Italica to pass up an opportunity to catch their breath. Fine by him, even with ten of them they could probably defeat this useless army.

So it was surprising when he heard sounds of fighting way over to the west. Hansen changed his view and saw the fires starting to the west. It seems the Princess may have underestimated the enemy.

"AHHHHHH!" Rory screamed erratically, grabbing her scythe and bull rushing into the fray. Leaving Hansen and the others in the dust.

Lelei pulled Hansen's sleeves while Tuka just blinked.

"Do we follow her?" She asked innocently.

Hansen pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply.

Mengele walked by his side, a wiry smile on his lips.

"You know it would be very useful to see the demigoddess in action mien Sturmbannführer." Hansen's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Alright fine, let's go. Schnell you lazy bums! Schnell!" Hansen and the reconnaissance team quickly hurried towards the western walls.

The streets of Italica were quiet, the only thing piercing the silence was the occasional scream and fleeing soldier. After twenty minutes of frantic sprrinting they found themselves in a courtyard, a chaotic mass of bodies crashing into each other in a heavy fight.

Hansen scanned the crowd, his eyes laying on the Princess who was now fending off a gaggle of deserters on top of the walls.

Lüdemann and the Drache crew were gunning down a dozen soldiers with their MP38, Mengele had a couple of shots in with his P38 but was mostly focused on Rory.

The demigoddess was like a storm of limbs and violence, a force of unstoppable momentum that rendered groups of men into bloody pulps of unrecognizable flesh. Hansen mentally sighed in relief that he wasn't facing her on the other side of the battle.

Richter as well though mortal was trying to match her crimson dance. The Scharführer had a dagger out and like a composer weaved a symphony of carnage. The man's knifeplay was phenomenal the way he ducked and weaved then thrust. Hansen was impressed by it such skills should would merit a promotion.

Hansen himself was fighting towards the princesses' side, all the while holding the radio operator Schmidt by his collar much to his nervous confusion.

Hansen was surgical in his shots, aiming for center of mass and moving on when the target was taken down. He reached his destination in under five minutes, seeing from his vantage point he witnessed five Fog Golems playing havoc with the deserter army which would explain why so few have breached the walls.

"Hansen! We need to retreat!" The Princess shouted out as she swung her blade into an orc's neck.

"No, this is perfect." Hansen smiled, signaling to Schmidt for the radio.

* * *

The sky was pitch black, sitting in his cockpit he felt as if he was submerged in the sea. The sounds of his engine humming loudly and the chatter on the radio his only break from the lull.

"Approaching target." He took out the rosary around his neck, clutching it tightly with his one hand as he murmured a silent prayer. He saw the pockets of fires burning down below, illuminating the target and making it easier for them.

"NOW! GOTT STRAFE DAS NEUWELT!" The Staffelkapitän yelled enthusiastically.

"May God forgive them." He whispered as he let loose his payload.

* * *

The first thing they heard was the wail, a demonic sounding wail that drowned whatever sound the fighting made. The Princess stared in awe as she saw dragon like machines diving down like hawks. Then the awe turned to terror as explosions ruptured the enemy lines, a level of destruction so powerful and unprejudiced in its selection. Both defenders and attackers were enveloped in fiery oblivion. Some of the sections of the western walls were demolished. Even the Fog Golems were rendered into nothing but mere dust.

The Princess stared in frozen horror, the dancing flames in her widened eyes burning for the longest time.

"What are they? These bringers of death?" She whispered under her breath.

* * *

In the aftermath of the Second Battle of Italica there was no celebration, no great hurray for this victory. So many from both sides were claimed by blade and fire. Much of the western walls were battered into rubble by the horrendous weapons of the Blackshirts. Hansen and co scoured the wasteland that dotted the outside of Italica, looking for any survivors.

Eventually encountered a shivering figure, hiding underneath a ditch that protected them from the inferno.

Lelei dropped her staff as she saw the persons face. She hurried by their side, clutching them in stunned surprise.

"Whats wrong Lelei?" Mengele asked.

She looked back at them, with a panicked expression.

"It's my sister. She's here and she's hurt." She said hysterically.

This night really was exciting.


	8. The Ribbentrop-Mosely Pact

1st, November, 1939  
0930 hours, German Foreign Ministry

Ribbentrop never expected he would end up as Foreign Minister of Germany. From a mere businessman hosting secret meetings in his abode for the NSDAP into a renewed figure within the government that ruled one of the world's most powerful nations. Now his own son was going to oversee the establishment of diplomatic relations with an extraterrestrial government, he was either the most cunning or the luckiest man of his age and now he was participating in one of the most important negotiations of his lifetime.

The possible alliance between the German Reich and the British Empire along with the possible shifting of the equilibrium within the great powers.

All of this because of the Gate.

Stalin's sudden abandonment of his 'Socialism in One Country' theory was a surprise for everyone, especially Trotsky who it seems has returned from his exile in Mexico and repaired relations with Stalin who commenced the Great Purge just to get rid of him and his influence. It was initially thought that Stalin would have been content within his own corner of the world leaving the Reich to work on their own devices until he felt the USSR was ready to wage war. Yet ever since the Gate appeared the Bolsheviks have started resuming their objective of an international worker's revolution. It made little sense to Ribbentrop. Doubly so when the Soviet Union in their antics had alienated and even united foes.

The United States in comparison was passive in the midst of the Presidential reelection. Roosevelt who had spent much of his previous candidacy rearming the US for war was now out of the picture. The man was now in a coma, after reportedly trying to walk during the campaign trail in order to show supporters that his polio would not hinder him only to fall and hit his head on stage. Without FDR and the possible British-German alliance, the US seemed to be paralyzed on what to do.

Another democracy that had brewing problems was the French Third Republic. In the aftermath of Chamberlains assassination, the Parti Communiste Français initiated a complete takeover of the South of France, no doubt with support from the belligerent Soviet Union. This French Civil war had by this point surpassed the earlier Spanish Civil war in both scope and blood. The collapse of France played a major factor in the sudden British interest in a German alliance.

With two of its allies gone and the resurgence of the Marxist threat the British had decided that this world WAS in fact big enough for Germany and them.

Whatever was going to happen in this room between these two Germanic powers would dictate the future of the entire world.

Ribbentrop was the representative for the Axis side, he along with most of the senior diplomats of the Reich and Axis were seated on one side while foreign diplomats headed by Oswald Mosely the newly made Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary were seated on the other.

The talks were long and left no stone unturned; whether it concerned military, the economy, trade deals and foreign agreements.

Ribbentrop was initially surprised that the leader of the British Union of Fascists would be a cabinet member never mind a Deputy Prime Minister to someone that was an embodiment of the bourgeois like Churchill.

Indeed, he was surprised that the Fuhrer was willing to ally himself with one of the most powerful capitalist democracies in the world. Did the Soviets really concern him? Although if Ribbentrop were to be honest he himself was quite leery of the sudden change in course that the Soviets undertook. The Afghan invasion was just among the first in the series of actions that signaled the Soviets reinterest in spearheading a worldwide revolution.

"Are we to begin?" Mosely asked over the microphone.

"Yes we are. Now on to the first order of business." Ribbentrop answered back in surprisingly fluent and accent less English.

The issuing negotiations lasted for a good six hours. By the end it seemed miraculous that the outcome of it had somehow placated both sides.

The first thing that was discussed was the Danzig corridor. The stretch of land that provided Poland its only port to the Baltic sea and which separated the province of East Prussia from the rest of Germany. In another time it was a hot button issue that could have led to a war. Yet now the Polish were gracious in giving it to the Germans. The price however was quite steep in Ribbentrop's opinion. In exchange for it the German Reich would desist with ALL attempts of getting back all of its land claims. This included Alsace-Lorraine in wartorn France. Not only that but the Germans HAD to join a defensive pact with the Polish against the Soviets. This was non-negotiable and was the entire reason for the British participation in the talks at all.

Ribbentrop thought this unnecessary. The Reich now had an entire world open to them, there was no point in obtaining more land in Europe if it resulted in only disadvantages for the Riech. Yet Ribbentrop was confident that Hitler would never let Danzig go. German blood had been spilled in getting this land, Prussia had warred with its enemies to keep it. Giving up Elsaß-Lothringen was one thing but giving up Danzig would have been treasonous in Hitler's eyes.

In the end the German diplomats decided to concede to the British counteroffer. The Fuhrer would not be pleased with the abandonment of Elsaß-Lothringen and other claims but the Danzig corridor would be a part of Germany. Besides this meant that the Polish would serve as the first line when the Soviets eventually invade.

Ribbentrop also decided to be a bit generous, offering to the Polish delegates that in the event of a Soviet Invasion the German Reich would be willing to liberate Ukraine and Belarus and gift them to the Polish to restore the previous borders of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. The Polish delegates were shocked by this bold declaration. The British as well. When asked about Lithuania and their possible reactions Ribbentrop was blunt enough to tell them that if the Polish decided to invade Lithuania the Germans would support it as well. The British strangely didn't seem to mind, Mosely himself saying that the more powerful Poland is in eastern Europe and in the Baltic the weaker the Soviets will be.

Ribbentrop did not share his sentiments, his true motives along with the Fuhrer who sanctioned Ribbentrop's usage of the bait was the eventual Polish integration into the German sphere of influence. Just because the Gate allowed the Reich to have as much living space as they needed didn't mean they were going to let the Polish get TOO powerful.

Speaking of the Gate the status of the German influence of the Neuwelt was the second topic that concerned the parties. The Germans declared that the Neuwelt opened in their sovereign territory alone and had every right to treat it as an extension of the Reich. The British counterargument was quite weak in comparison and purely pedantic in nature. Only the gate was in German territory not the actual Neuwelt itself. The British didn't expect to get what they wanted and reached a compromise. The British and the Commonwealth would recognize the German rights to the Neuwelt, in exchange the Germans were to grant entitlements to British visitors of the Neuwelt. This outcome Ribbentrop predicated would be seen by Hitler as the best available, a chance to show the British and their Empire that now the Germans had access to wealth that could match and even surpass theirs.

After that was the discussion of Italy and its dreams of colonial expansion. The British were quite displeased with Mussolini's dream of acquiring for Italy a colonial empire seeing as how it intruded on the spheres of British influence. In order for the British to join any sort of pact with the Axis the Italians needed to play nice. Ribbentrop had brought with him Italian foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano who seemed unconfident with the state of Italy's armed forces, he was quite welcome to any stratagem that would strength Italy and stall or utterly prevent another war, especially any war that involved the British in the other side.

Mosely surprised Ribbentrop when he said that the Empire had no interest in the Balkans nor Eastern Africa. Acting as if a silly thing in the Balkans wasn't the whole reason the first World War happened. Yet it was quite logical from a certain perspective, the Soviet Union would probably target the Balkans in a potential invasion, letting the Italians die fighting them made sense. All the British wanted was for the Italians to give up all interest in Egypt and the Suez Canal along with the Middle East. Hell they didn't even care if the Italians decided to invade French protectorates in Africa like Tunis or Algeria, although considering that many of France's Africa domains are currently under the hands of Communist or Nationalist rebels Ribbentrop doubted the French would mind. Ciano was utterly relieved at how lax the British were, he didn't even seem to mind when the British demanded that the Italians do not extend to any place further than Northern Africa or the Horn.

After some discussion it was agreed that British Somaliland and British Kenya would be conceded to the Kingdom of Italy in exchange for the Kingdom of Italy to recognize British dominance of the Mediterranean which Ciano saw as acceptable if it meant more time for the Italians to prepare for war.

The Kingdom of Italy like many other nations were changed from the turn of events that happened since the opening of the Gate. King Victor Emmanuel III was nearly assassinated by an Italian anarcho-syndicalist enraged by his allowance of Fascist control of the government, a situation that was darkly comedic when one remembers his father Umberto I was assassinated by an anarchist; however, the King was poisoned and has been left bedridden with such a horrendous sickness that he decided to abdicate and let his son to succeed him as King Umberto II of Italy. When it was discovered that the wannabe assassin had ties to the Soviet Union the young King went into a rage and threw his support behind Mussolini in their bid to destroy communism. The newly made Emperor of Ethiopia had his title reaffirmed by the British who recognized his sovereignty over the Empire of Ethiopia even with the disputes against the legality of it by the United States and Soviet Russia.

The state of the Kingdom of Albania as well became a minor topic, the ruling King Zog was killed and his family forced into exile in the aftermath of a communist uprising. The Italians were itching to invade it and add the Kingdom under its burgeoning Empire and all they needed was the right casus belli. Mosely saw no need to deny the Italians the right to liberate the Albanians from communist oppression.

With the Italian situation dealt with the talks drifted towards the Japanese. This was probably the most difficult the negotiations had been. The Second United Front between the Guomindang and the CPC had ended abruptly. The Soviet Union after its invasion of Afghanistan joined the war in China, the Soviets had officially declared war against the Republican Government but not the Japanese. Yet border clashes meant that the Japanese would no doubt be a target of the Soviets soon enough. The CPC emboldened by the entry of a strong ally made them confident enough to fight against both the Guomindang and Japanese alone. Even when faced with a two front war the Japanese seemed to be hardheaded and stubborn in continuing their war. Especially with the British demanding the return of Japanese gains back to the Republican Chinese

Ribbentrop always had headaches whenever he contacted the Japanese, they were not the diplomatic type.

The Japanese delegate in particular was especially bullheaded. They were not willing to give up Japanese dreams of Pacific dominance and the ejection of western powers. Furthermore, the idea of the British and the Germans demanding the Japanese to join a ceasefire with the Guomindang was ludicrous.

Until Mosely spoke of a potential relaxation of trade restrictions and British oil if Japan were to concentrate its efforts into Soviet Russia. This was further sweetened when Mosely further mentioned the potential concession of the Dutch West Indies (The Dutch would need some convincing, Ribbentrop added the Reich would be able to 'negotiate' the concession).

This was enough to stun the Japanese delegate into silence.

It seemed the Japanese were willing to suspend their imperialist goals if it meant support against the Soviet Union. The Japanese delegate agreed, but had one final offer.

The Japanese would agree to all of these unfair demands only if alongside what was already offered the British, Germans and Guomindang entered a defensive pact with the Japanese in the case of American or Soviet aggression. At this Mosely looked nervous for the first time ever since the negotiations started. He reluctantly agreed. Churchill would not have liked this, but if it meant the Guomindang and the Japanese fighting against the Soviets than it was necessary.

The final of the major negotiation topics was on France and its civil war. This was the shortest among the five, all delegates present agreed to send material and assistance to the official French government that was headed by Marshal Pétain in the aftermath of the death of President Lebrun after a terrorist attack. The civil war was a strange repeat of the Spanish civil war, Pétain himself adopting more fascistic trappings in his governance. Which the British didn't seem to mind now that they were on the verge of joining the Axis.

These five main points completed a large chunk of the negotiations. The rest were minor conversations about trade deals, economic pacts and etc. Mostly concerning the British sovereignty over the Commonwealth; issues with the state of Gibraltar and Nationalist Spain; discussions about the possible American response; the situation concerning Hungary, Romania and Turkey;the status of Jews within the commonwealth, which lead to Britain assisting the Germans with the Haavara Agreement; the nations bordering the Soviet Union and what to do with them; and finally the British officially joining the Axis.

This significant event would be all captured in a single photograph.

Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop shaking hands with a smiling Oswald Ernald Mosley with delegates from many countries standing around them.

They're faces plastered in newspapers around the world.

The headlines reading.

"A true peace for our time."

* * *

1st, November, 1939  
1721 hours, New Prussia Military Base

Hansen stared at her, this small young girl. So quiet, yet so full of strength in her resolve. Lelei never left this room ever since they moved here sister here.

He respected her, familiar loyalty. There was nothing as noble like it. The newly built military hospital here was surprisingly state of the art, good enough to tend to second degree burns.

Hansen didn't know why he was here, but he suspected it was guilt. Initially he called in the airstrike in a fit of adrenaline, the madness of battle had claimed him. Then it was over, and in its aftermath he saw weeping widows. He didn't regret his decision; it was the only way the army would have been taken care off. He didn't regret yet still felt guilt.

"Why are you here?" Lelei silently said, her head bowed towards her sister.

Hansen didn't answer for a moment.

"Do you think I'm evil?" He said emotionlessly.

"Why are you asking?" Lelei responded with a matching enthusiasm.

"Answer the question."

"You didn't have a choice didn't you?" She looked at him, her eyes bloodshot red from lack of sleep.

"There's always a choice." Hansen said.

"You picked the choice that killed the least amount of people." She said.

"Least?" He asked back.

"The needs of the many." Lelei responded.

Their conversation ended at that.

"Do you think you're evil? Lelei said.

"Maybe."

"I don't think you're evil, in war you can't use labels so casually. The only thing that matters is winning." That was a surprisingly levelheaded response.

"What if a war calls for the complete extermination of a people?"

"If there's no one left to say anything then by default you're not evil." That was coldblooded.

"Such a surprising response from someone so young." Lelei turned her attention back to her sister.

"I've learned many things in my efforts to become a better mage. One of those things is the cruelty of nature. In nature there's only one thing that matters, survival." Such talk was familiar, not all that different from the doctrine of the National Socialist Party.

"So you're with us to survive?" Lelei nodded her head simply.

Hansen moved the chair a bit closer to Lelei and rubbed her on the head. Lelei looked up, slightly blushing.

"Don't be an idiot. You're too young to talk like that. You need to talk about kid stuff, like the weather and dogs." Lelei looked away embarrassingly.

"N-Not boys?" She stuttered out.

Hansen had a bewildered look on his face.

"Wait. Are you undergoing... you know that female version of puberty?" He nervously said.

"Y-You mean just puberty?" This conversation had become very awkward.

Thankfully Their little intimate moment was interrupted.

The door opened, and entering in was Heydrich.

"I'm sorry to intrude here but is the patient alright?" Heydrich said as he stood near the bunk, surveying the medical apparatus and bandages around Arpeggio.

"She's fine, she woke up earlier and we had a talk. She went back to sleep though." Lelei answered.

"Did she tell you about how she created the Fog Golems? She nodded.

"Arpeggio was here when the Invasion of Alnus Hill happened. She left the Magical City of Rondel in order to meet me, she then heard about the attacks. It intrigued her and then she found the bodies. A mass grave outside of New Prussia, victims of the gas attacks. She didn't know what happened but she felt that the bodies became a catalyst for her magic. She didn't what happened next but she ended up creating a Fog Golem. "Heydrich had his hands on his chin.

"So the chemical weapon played a part in this?" Lelei nodded.

"Interesting. I might need to report this to high command." Before he left Lelei stood up.

"Wait! What was the name of the weapon?" Heydrich turned towards her.

"Mengele didn't tell you?" Lelei shook her head.

"I don't know the exact scientific name but I do know its operational name."

"And what is its operational name?" Heydrich sneered.

"I'm not supposed to reveal classified material, but considering your special status in this base Miss La Lena I think It might be acceptable. The weapon's operational name is Nova 6."


	9. Yamato-damashii

7th, November, 1939  
1130 hours, Hotel Esplanade Berlin

Berlin was breathtaking, literally he wasn't able to breathe for like a good 10 seconds. It was like a different world.

The recon team that had fought and survived the encounter against the Flame Dragon were now about to attended a special parliamentary session within Berlin Riechstag. After Berlin was deemed safe to inhabit again work had been undertaken to renovate the city. Hansen didn't know exactly what they planned but apparently Albert Speer himself was working on turning Berlin into a city to surpass Rome, Paris, New York and London in its grandeur and magnificence.

When they arrived things immediately became hectic. A large military parade was rranged for them, and they were taken to a large rally where flags of the Riech flew proudly. There they were personally greeted by the Fuhrer and other high ranking officials of the party. It was an affair with lots of pomp and drama, it impressed many of the Neworlders. Even Rory was a bit amazed.

They were currently being moved into some hotel nearby, some fanciful sounding place that Hansen didn't have a care to remember. He really wasn't looking forward to be questioned in front of cameras from a dozen nations by the most powerful men within the Reich. What made it worse was that he was probably the only one going to be asked the questions. Aldy was absolutely terrified of large crowds, the soldiers from the Heer were having their own private session with their superiors and Richter and the driver of the halftrack were still stationed in the Neuwelt due to manpower shortages. Which left him and him alone to bask in the limelight.

Their hotel room was opulent, a bit too opulent for his liking. This was a room for some rich American tycoon or some foreign dignitary, he had no business being here being pampered. He really wanted to get back to the fighting.

The girls had their own separate rooms, apparently they didn't trust a lone man with three beautiful women. Which is a completely unfounded fear. Rory had her sights on Aldy, Lelei was just too young and Tuka simply creeped him out. He was also a man of the Waffen-SS, frankly he was insulted that they didn't trust him to control himself.

A knock on the oaken doors shook him from his thoughts, he spent some few seconds on what to do. He sauntered over and opened it, a bit surprised when the person on the other side greeted him.

"Hansen!" An older gentleman with a striking dueling scar over his left cheek. He had a wolfish grin as he gave a great big hug. The man was tall, and had a strong vice.

"Skorzeny. Put me down. Please." Hansen breath out as he felt his spine getting crushed.

"Oh I'm sorry. I forgot how much of a weakling you were." The Hauptsturmführer said unabashedly.

Though Otto Skorzeny was a member of the LSSAH as well Hansen only knew of him during the Berlin incident. The Untersturmführer at the time wasn't on duty and was a break when the attack hit. If Hansen had his way, he would have named Skorzeny the true Hero of Berlin. The man was absolutely insane during the Berlin Incident. Hansen still couldn't wash out the blood from his uniform. He also couldn't stop remembering the highlight of the skirmish, when Skorzeny drove a car from a roof right into a mass of Imperial soldiers. They still didn't know how Skorzeny drove that thing up there in the first place.

Their first meeting was a very unorthodox one, Skorzeny head-butted him thinking he was one of them in all the confusion, Hansen in turn shot him in the shoulder. It was a very awkward situation when the dust cleared and they both saw their uniforms. Skorzeny was very apologetic at the conclusion of the Berlin incident due to the fact Hansen was of a higher rank.

They eventually made up during the celebrations after their award ceremony. Well what parts he remembered anyway. They had a lot of booze, Aldy was passed out in a public restroom. While Skorzeny and Hansen found themselves in the arms of a Polish whore and a Czech mistress. It was one of the most bizarre experiences ever.

Since then Hansen felt complete apprehension whenever he met Skorzeny for it meant something crazy was bound to happen.

And it seems something crazy was going to happen at the Riechstag.

"Skorzeny why are you here?" Hansen was unaware of how he didn't refered to Skozrney by rank but name. They had known each other for a few days but the sheer impact they had on each other made them fast friends. Friendly enough that Hansen and Aldy acted quite casually around him without fear of being reprimanded.

"I'm here to accompany you and your pretty lady friends of course. Can't have the Hero of Berlin getting assassinated when he reveals to the world how he heroically fended off an actual dragon." Skorzeny patted Hansen on the shoulder with his big heavy hands. Hansen feared it might have gotten dislocated by the third pat.

"You're here to be my bodyguard?" It sounded less like a question and more like a bewildered statement.

"You doubt my abilities?" Selazny recoiled in offense.

"Yes." Hansen said bluntly.

Selazny laughed gregariously, resuming his patting on Hansen's back.

"Always direct. That's one of the reasons I like you Max. Now come on no time for dilly dally time for you to introduce me to your friends and after that off we go to the Reichstag." Selazny grabbed Hanse by the shoulders steering him like a ship towards the girl's rooms.

All the while Hansen had a painful grimace on his face.

Things have gotten crazy.

* * *

7th, November, 1939  
1300 hours, German foreign ministry

Ribbentrop read over the piece of paper, hands on his chin as he scanned the Imperial offer. He was far from impressed.

"A ceasefire and reparations?" Ribbentrop asked indignantly.

Pina slumped her shoulders, while Bozes hardened her lips.

Bozes was one of Pina's knights she was intent on arriving Italica to relieve the Princess from the siege. Instead she came face to face with a contingent of Blackshirt soldiers. They had a standstill that lasted for an hour. Many of the knights hesitated to engage with the progenitors of the now infamous death clouds. It took the Countess Formal herself to appear at the scene to defuse the situation.

Now they were here within the very heart of the Blackshirt capital. She had never seen such a city. It dwarfed anything that the Empire had. It was bigger than some Kingdoms. She remembered giant steel birds flying in the sky. She remembered the march of iron chariots that made the ground shake.

She saw a score of thousands, but it looked like millions. It awed and terrified her to see the amount of men chanting the name of their Emperor. The man himself wasn't spectacular in any physical way, but when they shook hands and she looked into his eyes she felt a shiver in her spine. She had never seen eyes like those before. Eyes of utter determination that possessed a zealous fanaticism. Does were the eyes of someone who was capable of doing anything. No matter the cost.

Now they were here with their high diplomat as they discussed the possible terms of surrender.

"We don't need slaves at all and we don't need your money." Ribbentrop tore the piece of paper, Bozes grind her teeth at the sheer disrespect of the gesture.

"What do you want then?" Pina was agitated and nervous, this was her first time being a diplomat after all.

"Unconditional subjugation, the Empire must understand that the German Riech is its superior." Pina stood up, aghast at such a demand.

"T-That's impossible!" Ribbentrop batted his eyelashes, unimpressed.

"If this cannot be reached diplomatically than we will continue this war and make the Empire kneel." Pina bit her lower lip.

"Wait! I-I need time! My father and the senate will not take kindly to such a condition." Ribbentrop yawned seemingly uninterested by her excuse.

"We will give you three weeks. If the Empire does not recognize our authority than it will be destroyed." Bozes stood up, her hand on her blade. The two bodyguards beside Ribbentrop raised their new MP 40's. The tension in the room was palpable.

"Three weeks isn't enough; this is something that would takes years." Pina said with watery eyes, unable to deal with this impossible task.

"A month." Pina was about to talk back, but decided to hold her tongue. She knew that the Reich would not be happy, but for the Empire be a vassalage? It was going to be a titanic effort.

"Alright, a month. In a month I will try to get my father and members of the senate to CONSIDER a possible vassalage. You need to know that this isn't a simple thing. For a thousand years the Empire has stood. The very prospect of ending that would balk many, if you expect this to happen immediately than I have no choice but to tell you that the war will never end and you might as well kill me now for being an enemy combatant." Pina said in the most desperate voice she could muster.

Ribbentrop stroke his chin in thought.

"Alright then, in a month you will get as many pro-Reich senators you could muster. After that we will resume negotiations. In the meantime, I ask for mining rights for areas around New Prussia." Pina sighed in relief.

She had just gotten them slightly more time to prepare.

Would it be enough?

* * *

5th, November, 1939  
1832 hours; Komae, Tokyo

"Araki-San." He looked over his shoulder, his lips still on the sakazuki. He gulped down the sake in one go and turned his direction towards the underling.

"Why do you disturb me?" The man prostrated himself as he bowed deeply.

"An important guest has arrived; he wishes to speak urgently with you!" The underling said with a sycophantic whine.

"Fine bring him in." The underling stood up and bowed again, skittering off and after 10 minutes ushered someone in.

Araki stood up, bowing as he saw the guest.

"Nakano-kakka." Araki said respectfully.

Prime Minister Seigō Nakano raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Araki-sensai please no need for the formalities. I should be the one bowing here in your home and besides are we not close friends?" Nakano said whilst bowing, Araki broke off his bow awkwardly as the new Prime Minister did that.

"Araki-sensai I have come here to discuss some important news." Both men sat down now, enjoying fresh bowls of Sake wine.

The subject manner they were discussing was serious.

"The Hokushin-ron (Northern Way) doctrine? Why is this of concern?" Araki said after finishing a cup of Sake.

"Well as you know in the aftermath of that Ribbentrop-Mosely pact the Japanese government was paralyzed on what to do. Konoe-kakka resigned in protest of the demands of the pact. The Gozen Kaigi (Imperial Conference) had spent two days nonstop figuring out who to appoint for the role." Araki nodded sagely as Nakano continued on.

"And you ended with the position? I'm quite surprised on how you managed to convince the Kokkai (Imperial Diet) to name you Prime Minster. Many powerful factions would take offense in your extreme ideology." At this Nakano smiled.

"Trust me I was merely the only overripe fruit among the rotten ones. The only reason I was selected for this role was due to my connections with the Fascist regimes of Europe. With the Guomindang more or less our allies and our role within South-East Asia checked by our new British friends many including that scoundrel Tojo himself and his Tōseiha (Control Faction) decided a more radical stance would be needed in the inevitable fight with the Soviets." Nakano seemed anxious, as if the power that was thrust upon him was getting a bit too much.

"I see. I am taken back that our government is even bothering to recognize that pact. Didn't the foreign dignitary responsible for it commit seppuku in shame of his dishonour?" Nakano looked down at his sakazuki, a bit glum.

"Yes, however; if we were to attack the British for their Asian colonial holdings we would be in direct conflict with two other great powers. Japan cannot stand alone, and many are of the opinion that this pact could be a hidden godsend. The Army is itching for a rematch to regain their honor and the Navy as well wish to test themselves against their Soviet counterparts. The Chinese would be eternally grateful for our assistance even after all the conflicts we had with them and the invasion of Manchuko, which could mean a dream of a Dai-tō-a Kyōeiken (Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere) is still possible and even easier than without British support." Araki smiled, realizing finally why he was here.

"So much to do, I pity he who has to handle such details. That amount of pressure, imagine what one little mistake could cost the Yamato nation, it would be disastrous. No single man could do that alone, he would need many skilled individuals within his government." Nakano smiled as well, glad that Araki understood his intentions.

"Though forced into retirement, I believe that you Sadao Araki founder of the Kōdōha (Imperial Way Faction) have the will and the means to guide this nation's arms in a war against the Soviet threat. In two days' time I along with several ranking members of my ministry will attend a conference within Berlin. There we will see the Hero of Berlin himself as he reveals to the world what wonders the Berlin Special Region possess as well as to sign the Quadripartite Pact which recognizes Great Britain as a member of our coalition against the Soviet Union. I want you to be among those ministers as the new Minister of War." Araki looked stunned for a while, then smiled and then finally laughing in a mad fit that surprised Nakano who thought he might have lost his wits.

"Oh forgive me Nakano-kakka, I just tried to envision the face on Tojo of he were to find found out." Nakano frowned.

"Oh I do not wish to think what such a face would look like. He would be so enraged that he might even initiate a coup." Nakano sighed in melancholy.

"Good! I might even get the chance to gut him with my family katana" Araki said in a cheeky manner.

"Please Araki-sensai don't talk like that. It just might happen." Nakano cringed. His mine aching at the thought of what Tojo would do.


	10. Satya Yuga

7th, November, 1939  
1430 hours, Riechstag Building

The parliamentary session wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. In fact, Hansen spent most of it faded behind the background, many were mostly fixated on the three guests.

Indeed, Herr Himmler who proceeded over the questioning was obviously excited by Tuka. The Elvish beauty was an immediate eyecatcher, bombarded by questions about her race and her capabilities. Surprisingly even in her current mental state she handled herself well. She explained how she was a Wood Elf, how she was functionally immortal barring bodily injury and how her people had a natural provability towards magic. Now ever since the Berlin Incident many were aware of the existence of magic, but to have actual living proof was something different altogether.

Lelei herself shocked all present when she revealed she was a mage of great power, and at such a young age. Hansen managed to overhear the mutterings of many of the highest echelons of the Party. All of them asking if magic was possibely an Aryan only trait. Indeed, though not a blond, blue eyed beauty like Tuka; Lelei still had that petite and mousy attractiveness that many fawn over (Hansen would not admit that he himself was weak to it). Yet unsurprisingly it was Rory who took the show. Heydrich once more standing among audience shot her in the head. Hansen was of the opinion Heydrich enjoyed doing that.

Himmler shouted at him for such bold action within the presence of the Fuhrer, but when Rory got up from the floor no worse for wear did the gasps started coming.

The questions were endless

The parliamentary session that involved the interview of the New Worlders was an event that had managed to live up to the fanfare surrounding it. At its end the questions and doubts concerning the existence of an alternate world had been squashed so furiously that none have any reason to deny it.

They were not alone now in this universe.

In the aftermath the entire world was changed. Entire genres of fiction were about to be invented, academic circles in every university would get into arguments about the gravity of what had just happened.

But most of all, the religions of every major faith were shaken to their core.

The moment Rory Mercury revealed her divinity to the world did she open a new can of worms.

It was not Tuka's explanation of what Elves were or Leleis confirmation of the existence of magic, but Mercury's insinuation that she served a tangible God that caused such great uproar with theologians and coffee houses everywhere.

None were more elated by her proclamation than the Ahnenerbe. The Occultists were just handed the theological legitimacy they needed, here they had a girl who was immortal and possessed undeniable power. Many scholars were quick to discover the mythological links between the Goddess Hardy and the Norse Goddess Hel. Indeed, there were surprising similarities with the New World pantheon with the Old German Gods.

Even Hitler who was apprehensive with the new Volkisch religion couldn't help but find the new faith appealing. After all did the Church offer them an immortal superhuman at their disposal?

The formerly eccentric and obscure Deutsche Glaubensbewegung exploded into a full blown religious movement, Himmler himself spent some few minutes in private conversation with Mercury, asking for her blessing in finding Wotanism. The new religion of National Socialist Germany. Rory just said yes just to get it over with. This wasn't the first time she was worshiped after all.

These events would not yet come to pass, but were inevitable.

Max Hansen and the girls left the building flooded by the reporters and media. In his thoughts he mused that somehow they had changed the very course of the world and it wasn't even dinner time.

He sighed as they drove in the very expensive Benz they were in. Rory was still outside, waving and smiling like a natural. She seemed to bask in the attention.

Poor Aldy, he was being courted by an Apostle of a God. That wasn't going to end well.

* * *

7th, November, 1939  
1642 hours, Kaufhaus des Westens

"That looks so cute on you!" Rory cooed as Lelei twirled nervously in her new summer dress.

Such travesty had befallen him, great and terrible were the woes that had been inflicted . For he had been consigned to one of the most horrible fates to befall man ever since the Industrial Revolution.

Chaperoning young girls as they shopped around.

The girls were offered a very large stipend to use as guests of the Reich. Tuka and Lelei were indecisive on how to spend their new found wealth, while Rory took the initiative.

"Come on Max don't you think she's cute? Rory, coyly said as she wrapped herself around Ludemann's arms. Hansen was very close to helping him out, but decided against it as punishment for his cowardice in attending the session.

"She looks beautiful." Lelei looked away, hands on her face.

"You're not supposed to say that to a girl!" Rory was utterly flabbergasted by Hansen's lack of tact.

"W-What? I-I complimented her!" Hansen was perplexed by what was going on. Weren't you supposed to compliment her?

"Have you ever known a woman for more than five minutes? Never be direct! Always tease!" Ah well that explains Rory's relationship with Albrecht.

"Miss Lelei? I found that bookstore you were looking for! It's just across the street of the entrance!" Otto strutted in oafishly. A dumb looking grin

Lelei's blushing cheeks were still burning brightly, she took her staff and ran out.

Wait.

"LELEI YOU STILL NEED TO BUY THAT!" Hansen called out towards the retreating girl.

* * *

"I had to pay for that dress you know." Hansen looked through the clear glass of the bookstore, beyond were a veritable library of books. So much more than Lelei seemed to have witnessed too.

"Sorry…" Lelei said slightly embrassed.

"You know if you want to I can stop complimenting you." She grabbed his wrist, her eyes locked with his pleading.

"N-No, it was just teenaged mood swings taking over." She looked to the side, back towards the treasure trove of books.

"You want to go in?" Lelei's eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"Uhm." She nodded.

"May I have the pleasure of escorting you then?" He offered his hands, Lelei looked at it with nervous trepidation.

She grabbed it.

Hansen made a nervous smile.

"Y-You're supposed to lock my arms with yours." Lelei blushed redder this time, a bit taken back by how intimate these Germans were.

They entered the store at 1655 hours, and left at 1800. Hansen felt this was worse than clothes shopping. At least dresses weren't as heavy as books. Yet the satisfied and joyous expression on Lelei's face he felt was worth the pain.

* * *

7th, November, 1939  
1652 hours, Unknown location

She looked out the widow, her hands holding the binoculars that assisted her in tracking them. The three New Worlders had spent hours shopping and touring. Frankly she was surprised by how lax the Germans were in watching over them. Either they were incompetent, or something nasty was in store for them.

"Rebecca." A burly, heavy set man entered the door. The man's name was Jack Hauser, Half-German and Half-American.

"Jack are the boys ready?" The beautiful Polish-American Jew asked in a nervous but subdued voice.

"Whats wrong Krakowski you nervous?" Jack flashed her his hunky smile. Thankfully it wouldn't work on her.

There were around six of them. Five of them were OSS agents. While Rebecca herself was a liaison of theirs within Germany.

Hauser directly flew from New York to Berlin.

Mercer and Neville entered through the French border before the civil war, Johnson took a ferry from London and Olsen smuggled himself and their equipment from Sweden through the Baltic sea and unto Hamburg.

Krakowski was careful in hiding her Jewish heritage as she traveled from Poland, her passport suggesting she was part Silesian.

Their mission was simple.

The capture of one of the New Worlders, it was a long shot but that was the primary objective. If that was not accomplishable than they moved unto plan B. Get the blue haired girls staff or the massive Scythe. Considering its size, they decided the staff would be easier.

The political situation in America has gotten a bit heated. With FDR out of commission someone unexpected stepped up as savior of the Democrats. Henry Wallace, the man was very unpopular among the more conservative elements of the Democrats, mostly the Dixiecrats. Not only that but that fiasco with Roeric and his Shamballa delusion still dodged him. It fact it was only because of FDR that Wallace was even considered for the Presidential running, after all no one would argue with a dead man (or dying man). It looked like the Republicans were the ones who would get the candidacy. Wendell Willkie was a bit wary of involving the US in the quagmire in Europe and the Pacific. The British-German-Italy-Japan power bloc was a dangerous beast to deal with.

The Soviet Union on the other hand was starting to ferment a lot of unrest in many countries. With Mexico being one of them.

Which left them with a conundrum.

Communism or Fascism?

This was a game that few of them wanted to play.

Vice President John Nance Garner now acting President was a bit miffed at Roosevelts last laugh. Cactus Jack however proved to be an exemplary President, forming the Office of Strategic Services or the OSS. It was based on the British MI6 and its main function was the evaluation of modern geopolitics, in layman terms in meant they were tasked with figuring just what must the US do in order for democracy to thrive. Another strategic objective was the assessment of the ramifications of the Gate and frankly the ramifications were very deep and world changing.

Krakowski and the others were inserted into Germany just two weeks ago and so far they were making just minor progress. The Gestapo had a tight grip on the city and almost nothing happens without their say so. They spent most of their time here trying to avoid getting found out.

Now they were under orders to intercept a New Worlder.

It was going to be difficult.

To say the least.

* * *

7th, November, 1939  
2030 hours, Wewelsburg Castle

A flash of lightning pierced the silence of the night, following it was the torrential assault of a million rain drops.

Deep within a dark antechamber, illuminated by black candles surrounding the room. Four figures garbed in the blackest of robes stood around a Black Sun on the floor. On their persons were numerous ancient talismans and artifacts. They wore animal masks that invoked the deepest terrors of human imagination.

"The Fuehrer believes. He is ready to become Emperor of the World." The figure with the owl mask says deeply. He is noticeably shorter than the rest of them.

"As expected. What of Hel's daughter?" The deer-faced figure says elated. A tall and gaunt man.

"She is everything we've dreamed." The wolf-head said stoically. He was bulky and broad shouldered.

"She is only a stepping stone however; our true target is Wotan's Son." The eagle-masked figure spoke out. This one obviously a woman.

"One step at a time. The bastard sons of Rus are poised to threaten Tibet. We must find Shamballa before they do, we need to escalate this into war." The Deer clarified.

"Worry not, we and we alone possess the knowledge to summon the Gate. The Soviets have no methods of activating Shamballa. The English on the other hand have the capability. We must support them in defending Tibet." The Wolf seemed to be an expert on the matters concerning Shamballa.

"Shamballa does not matter; The Cult of Mithras have already secured Agartha. They are poised to summon the second Gate." The Owl said.

"Shamballa does matter; without the four cities we cannot end Kali Yuga. Thule for us, Agartha for the Italians, Shamballa for the English and Ryūgū-jō for the Japanese. When all four Gates open. We shall usher in Satya Yuga." The Eagle said reverently.

The four figures spent the rest of the night discussing the path that they would undertake and soon after they would leave. Outside these walls they would resume their mundane lives until they return once more. Where they shall resume their goals for the world.


	11. The Passion

8th, November, 1939

0921 hours, in route to Königsberg in Preußen

Initially when he was awakened rudely at 6 in the morning that they were all supposed to go to Königsberg he had cringed at the thought of wasting further time sightseeing; however, the fact that the men who were accompanying him were from the Geheime Staatspolizei did he reconsider his earlier hasty assumptions. Their exit from Berlin was swift and they were quickly placed on the earliest train towards the seat of Prussia herself.

The girls were a bit confused by the sudden change in tempo. All they knew was that something important needed to be down away from the capital, currently they were seated in a rather plain cabin within the train carriage. Thankfully they didn't have enough time to upgrade their seats.

"So can you explain why we're here?" Rory yawned out tiredly. She had slept late along with the others.

"I am not completely sure, what I have been told is that something ancient has been found underneath the Königsberg castle of unknown origin. They believe it might be connected to all of you." Hansen said recalling the conversation he had with the severe looking captain who explained to him the situation.

"An artifact? From our world?" Lelei asked inquisitively.

"Not sure, they believe it is to be the case. Apparently all sorts of weird objects had been found since the opening of the Gate." The Artifact rush was not wholly unique to Germany, many countries had suddenly appeared of strange and otherworldly properties. Most of them in Northern European countries and if the rumors were true in some parts of the Soviet Union, there was also some found in the Mediterranean region but in drastically lower rates.

"They woke us up for some measly trinkets? Ah how bothersome. What makes this worse is that darling isn't even here with me." Rory let out a grouchy sigh.

"Don't worry we're almost there." The train was now slowing down; they were now reaching Königsberg.

As they disembarked the girls were taken back by how different the capital of Prussia was from Berlin. It had a rustic flavor to it, yet the heavy military presence was at times more obvious than it was in Berlin.

The reason for it was simple. In the event of Soviet aggression on Poland Königsberg would serve as a port in the middle of the violent storm. Here one could see an almost rare sight to see, Polish and German infantry training in tandem as they prepared themselves for an inevitable conflict. Not only that but as they were on their way to the castle they encountered other foreign units as well. There were likely volunteer groups, and with what little knowledge Hansen possessed of foreign militaries he was at least confident that at least some of them were Danish, Slovakian, Estonian and Norwegian.

As they neared the castle did the rustic countryside feel of the city utterly disappear into that of a military stronghold. Now they were seeing rolling tanks, infantry parading and the sounds of aircraft overhead.

Their motorcade stopped at the gates of the castle as they were accosted by men with unfamiliar insignia and uniform lead by a terrifying giant of a man. He had horrific burn and frostbite wounds on the right side of his face. His hair was in a strange color that Hansen could only describe as "Snow-blond" and his eyes were frosty deathly blue. The feeling Hansen felt when he first encountered Heydrich were burning with a tenfold intensity as he suffered a scathing gaze underneath the blond giant.

"State your purpose." The man spoke with a thick, low and harsh accent of likely Scandinavian origin.

The highest ranked of the Geheime Staatspolizei stepped forward brandishing their documents. The head of these strange soldiers scanned through them thoroughly.

Meanwhile Hansen took the time to scan the odd troops. They wore uniforms of the SS, or what looked to be the SS. They wore insignia that was unknown to him. What he did not find difficult to ascertain were the men wearing them. Each of them to the very man were hard and severe looking men. Their posture and expressions leaving no room for doubt that they were all cold-blooded killers.

Even Rory narrowed her eyes as she met their gazes. One in particular smiled as he felt her aura of dread, seemingly welcoming it instead of shying away.

"These men are dangerous." Rory quietly whispered to Hansen.

Hansen remained silent, unwilling to do anything that might get their attentions.

They giant cleared them and they were on their way into the belly of the beast.

* * *

8th, November, 1939

1014 hours, Hotel in Berlin

Krakowski scanned through the piece of paper for one final time, rubbing her head in utter confusion.

"You're going to infiltrate the Luftwaffe with this identity?" She asked in a pained voice, at a lost for how stupid it sounded.

"Oh come on! I spent a lot of time forging these you know! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me and my contacts to get these?" Hauser whined like a school boy.

"What sort of name is Peter von Luck? Is this even an actual German last name?" Hauser was a skilled soldier, and an even better pilot considering his father was a World War I ace but at times she questioned his abilities as a spy.

"My mother's maiden name is von Luck." Hauser said in a hurt tone.

"I-I… apologize, but still. Are you sure you can imitate a Dresden accent? Do they even allow fighter pilots with glasses?" Hauser recoiled in offense.

"I'll let you know that I'm nearsighted!" Krakowski shook her head.

"That's not the point. You're risking your life while our mission is to recover artifacts." Hauser wagged his finger.

"NEW world artifacts, and what better place to do it from the very stronghold of Nazi power within the New World." Krakowski couldn't help but see the merits of this plan.

They would have eyes and ear within the fabled New Prussia outpost. Still it was risky.

"We'll talk about this for a later time, right now we need to focus on the three girls. What have we got on Königsberg?" A dashing, dark haired man of noticeable Anglo features handed Krakowski a folder.

"A whole lot of Nazis." He said in a smooth New Englander accent.

Richard Johnson came from old money, very old money. The sort of old money that were the closest things to aristocrats the US had. He could have been a politician, or a rich tycoon. Instead he became a spy for the thrill of it.

Johnson was smooth and suave with regal features and darkness coiling around the edges, while Hauser was rough and strong-jawed, a heroic bulk that could sweep a lady of her feet. Surprisingly they were good friends considering their differing personalities, background and looks.

"Not only Nazis, they have someone else." Alaric Olsen was an aging man from Denmark, the man's hazel hair was prematurely greying even though he was only in his mid-thirties. He was a morose and melancholic individual who seemed haunted by the past. Olsen was a master smuggler, great at driving and as a sailor. He scarcely talked about how he acquired those skills however.

"Let's wait for the twins first before we debrief." Rebecca said.

The last two Mercer and Neville were currently out of the hotel room. The stories behind both of them were unorthodox to say the least. Michael Mercer and Michael Neville were twin brothers who were separated at birth. The story behind it was one increasingly convoluted and almost fantastical in its core. Apparently they were the children of a German soldier falling in love with a French war refugee. They were separated at birth because their parents were under attack by Anti-German protestors who saw their union as abominable. Michael Mercer managed to escape with their father to New York, while Michael Neville escaped with his mother and the doctor who presided over their birth who also happened to be their biological uncle from their mother's side.

They reunited during college. The union of their parents was a tear jerker, and yet they didn't change their last names.

The twins were luckily fraternal. Mercer was spindly and bookish while Neville was wide and rough and tumble, but both an excellent team who excelled at information gathering.

While finally Rebecca Krakowski was their lynchpin within Europe. A young Polish-Jewish girl who was torn with how her country was now collaborating with the Nazis.

Rebecca never had an easy childhood. Her father was a descendent of Polish gentry while her mother was the daughter of a powerful Rabbi within the Jewish community. Her birth was accidental and ever since the Jewish side of her family resented her for her mother's adultery. This however did not dissuade her from volunteering as a liaison for the OSS initiative. She had just recently graduated from Oxford when she had heard of the Gate and ever since she was terrified of what the Nazis were now capable of doing. She might have had disliked her Jewish relatives but unlike few others she realized that Hitler's call for the elimination of the Jewish race in Europe was not simple hot air.

Indeed, she was increasingly worried about the harsh anti-Jewish laws that the Polish government were now passing in response to their newfound "friendship" with Hitler. Jews that have lived in Poland for centuries were now starting to see a bleak future ahead of them. She just hoped whatever they were doing would postpone any sort of terrible atrocity that might take place.

Together they were probably the most important operatives within Europe as they had been given the heroic task of learning more about the New World.

"Don't worry they'll be out until evening. I see no harm to start early." Johnson turned towards Olsen.

"This man is currently in charge of the Königsberg garrison." Olsen threw an old black and white photo of a startling giant with snow-blond hair on the table. His eyes almost glowing with an infernal light. His face a chaotic canvass of scarred skin and burn scars.

"Doesn't seem to be German." Hauser commented.

"He isn't. He's a Swede. The evilest Swede I have ever met which is saying something." Olsen said darkly.

"You've faced him before? Johnson asked.

"Yes. Rorik Magnusson. He was a boy born on the border of Sweden and Finland in Lappland. During the Finnish Civil War, he joined the White Guard and became one of their most vicious fanatics. He was a participant of the Vyborg massacre and from there became even worse. A terrorist for hire." Olsen recounted painful memories.

"Wait Rorik Magnusson? Don't the Russians call him the Swedish Devil?" Rebecca said as she recalled reading several Soviet newspapers.

"Close. They call him 'The Swedish Satan'." They blinked several times, a bit overwhelmed by such a sinister nom de guerre.

"I served with him back when we were soldiers serving under Martin Ekström and I promise you you've never seen evil until you've seen Magnusson in action." They were wary now, unsure if they were willing to learn more about this supposed Swedish Satan.

"Magnusson is for lack of better term a sociopath. Even then I feel like that isn't the right label to use. When we served together I realized that Magnusson unlike the others seemed to have enjoyed the war every aspect both grim and heroic. Where many were terrified and afraid of fighting in the cold I saw only an elated smile from Magnusson. Whenever we had a chance to rest, others would get together and sing songs of courage. While Magnusson would be found kneeling in the snow, praying for a night attack. Not once have I seen Magnusson angry, nor fatigued, nor terrified, nor depressed no matter how bleak the situation was, all I saw was a childish giddiness. A constant hunger for more killing and more death. When the war ended was the first time I saw Magnusson cry. He cried like a child, utterly hysterically. He was confined to the infirmary bed after an encounter with an errant Molotov cocktail. He didn't care that he almost died, in fact it seemed he loved his new scars. I remember his first words 'I didn't see the war to its end, give it back, give back my beautiful war.' In fact he didn't stopped, he continued his personal crusade against the Russians at every turn. Last I've heard he's their most wanted criminal." The story chilled all of them to the bone.

"Now it seems he has finally found the war that he craves for however." Olsen ended with a shaky note.

"I'm not sure, but it seems he's been made the commander of an elite Waffen-SS division." Johnson added with a disturbed tone.

"Then God help us all if that's the case." Olsen said with a tangible fear in his voice.

* * *

8th, November, 1939

1056 hours, deep within Königsberg Castle

"This is the Berserker Staff." Rory said with shaky hands, grasping the wooden staff that had a spearhead of pure obsidian on its front.

"You recognize it?" Hansen asked.

"Y-Yes. It's one of the gifts of Emroy, the God I serve." She spoke fearfully as if holding the thing would summon the God himself.

"I thought you served Hardy?" Rory shook her head at Hansen's question.

"I said Hardy wants me, totally different. Why is this here?" She turned towards the head of the archaeological expedition. A man named Ernst Schäfer.

"When the Gate opened we had reports of seismic activity underneath the castle. About 6 days ago we discovered new subterranean passages that were not found in the original plans. We investigated and found this strange chamber carved into the rock. The spear was placed on a stand. Whenever someone tried to touch it they were cursed with a momentary madness. We then came to the conclusion that the artifact might have been connected to the Gate." Schäfer explained.

"This should be impossible. Why would an artifact of the Gods be placed here?" Lelei rubbed her chin, deep in thought about the potential answers for these strange questions.

"Can your men inform me of any more artifacts? Emory is a vicious and mischievous God. Many of his "gifts" would be detrimental to the health of anyone who isn't divinely blessed." Schäfer bowed, barking out new orders to the men under his command.

"You look disturbed." Hansen said quietly as Rory stared at the thing.

"This shouldn't be here. This can't be here. The last time the Berserker Staff was seen in our world I was still mortal." She said in hushed bewilderment.

"Well then. This would mean the Ahnenerbe might not be all that wrong at all." Hansen said a bit anxious at what that statement truly met.

* * *

Unknown  
? hours, ?

He was alone which was almost never the case. As Emperor he was the most important personage within the realm. If anything happened to him the fate of the Empire would be thrown into chaos as his unsuitable heirs would fight for their rightful share.

He stood before the stony sentinel, a strange armored figure that held up a spear. He turned a hidden indentation and the thing moved slowly to the left. With torch in hand he moved deeper into the catacombs underneath the Palace.

The paths were perilous, the massive caves had large almost abysmal pitfalls and a multitude of dangerous things lurking in the darkness. Yet he possessed an amulet shaped into the form of a four angled cross. A relic from the progenitors of his royal bloodline.

Finally, he reached a small alcove. A stone figure was carved out of the stone, his hands and feet bounded to a crucifix. A crown of thorns adorned his head. And jutting from his granite side was a tarnished and ancient spear.

The Emperor knew the spear's name as Longinus. A weapon that had slain a God.

A weapon that just might save his Empire from strange but familiar invaders.

* * *

 **Note: Many thanks to the reviewer who made mention of the Winter War discrepancy. It seems I had a momentary brain fart concerning the dates.**


	12. Mini Chapter: Evil Unchained

He had spent a good bit of his time, waiting in this sorry excuse of an office for a better part of the morning now. He felt the sweat now seeping through his bottocks. It was an annoyance so vexing that he was starting to think spending more time in a cell would have been preferable.

The waiting man was terrible to look upon, the bones of his skull were visible under the folds of skin. It gave him the appearance of a talking skull.

It took a further good 15 minutes until someone finally came it. It was someone he didn't expect.

He came in with his round glasses, his face was rotund and he looked completely disarmingly normal. Yet one couldn't help but feel the sheer malevolence he gave out.

The man who entered the office he was chained to was one of the most powerful men within Germany.

"I didn't expect a man of your stature to be the one reviewing my case." The skull faced man asked. No standing, no salute. He continued sitting, not willing to accord him the respect expected of the man's station.

Though it seemed he didn't mind.

"Several accounts of sexual misconduct." The man reviewing his case said as he opened a vanilla folder, within were the various documents that described the seated man's infamous deeds.

"Statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl, stealing government property and the list goes on." He closed the folder just as quick as he opened it.

"Herr Berger speaks highly of you in light of your deviancy. Your war records in both the Great War and the Spanish Civil War almost match your criminal misdeeds in their scope." He clasped his hands together, staring at him with soulless eyes.

The skull faced man smiled. It was unpleasant to look at.

"So am I being reinstated to the Party?" He asked with curiosity more befitting a child than a grown man of his ghastly appearance.

"Yes, but you will be moved." The man with glasses said.

"Where to?" The man with glasses smiled. It matched the skull faced man's in terrible countenance.

"You will be assigned the 36th Grenadier Division of the Waffen SS that will soon be stationed within the New World. Your purpose is to make the New World occupants understand the price of fighting the Reich." The skull faced man licked his lips in anticipation. After seeing the Reichstag broadcast he always wondered how Elven women were like in taste and touch.

"I'm honored that the Reich would grant me such a commission." The man with glasses slapped him, almost without warning. It surprised him.

"Know your place. You are an animal, a hound that kills at our command. You rape when we order it. You pillage when we demand it. If you do not use your degenerate predilections to our benefit than you will be put down like a rabid dog." The skull faced man rubbed his stinging cheek, very much amused by these chain of events.

"I understand." The man with glasses frowned.

"You better. You are not a soldier; you are a weapon. A weapon of terror and viciousness. A dog of war whose leash has been set cut. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But, we don't ask for their love; only for their fear." The man with glasses said finally.

"Yes, Herr Himmler." The skull faced man said with a manic grin. The commander of the SS was rattling the chains binding him now.

"Oskar Dirlewanger. We are not giving you clemency because we believe you are a man of good moral standing. You are a devil. A demon. In the war that is fast approaching it will be your kind who will fight and die and give birth to dark legends." Heinrich Himmler said as he produced a stamp, slamming it down hard on a piece of paper.

Oskar Dirlewanger smiled his devilish smile.

He had been released from his iron chains.

Now the New World will know true fear.


End file.
